


Kingdoms Apart

by 21lillian21



Category: South Park
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Betrayal, Character Death, Confusion, Explicit Language, Fighting, Gay, Kingdom of Zaron, Multi, Mutual Pining, Princess Kenny - Freeform, Romance, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Tweek makes flower crowns, Violence, War, backstabbing, genderqueer Kenny, past clyde and Craig, possible death i'm not sure yet, they are kind of stupid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-06
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2018-04-13 05:21:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4509408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/21lillian21/pseuds/21lillian21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peace was finally upon the land and bloodshed and war were replaced by culture and music. The different factions of humans were able to co-exist finally under the power of the relic and the Wizard King. Prosperity was found in the lands of Zaron;<br/>but in the forest a darkness brewed.</p><p>A fierce battle loomed on the horizon for the stick of truth. The relic once meant to bring peace was now an object of desire, horded by the greedy Wizard King Cartman.</p><p>Another war was brewing in the lands of Zaron.<br/>----------------------------------------</p><p>In other words I actually wanted to bring the Stick of Truth world to life in a very real way, because why not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings

Long ago in a land of Zaron there was nothing but chaos and war. Anarchy reigned supreme in this land and Barbarians, thieves, warriors, princes and humans alike battled for survival. When it was thought by all that circumstances couldn't get any worse, the drow elves happened upon the land. War broke out amongst the humans and the elves for many years, drenching the lands in blood and vengeance.

Amidst the chaos a small group of humans traveled deep into the lost tombs of Zaron to find a way to end the bloodshed. Legend told of an ancient relic that could offer incredible power and protection over those that possessed it. It had belonged to a king of old that had once ruled over the humans before his untimely death. It was said that he was buried with the relic deep in the catacombs. Therefore a select group of humans led by the great Wizard, descendant of the very king that perished, went to seek out the relic. They would become known as the fighters of Zaron, a title given to all who fight with them to this day.

In the deepest catacombs of the land, in a tomb filled with the dead; they found it. The wizard, royalty by blood took the relic back to the surface and used its power to stop the fighting amongst the humans and the elves. A mighty castle was built and the Kingdom of Kupa Keep was established to reign over the humans and the lands of Zaron.

Peace was finally upon the land and bloodshed and war were replaced by culture and music. The different factions of humans were able to co-exist finally under the power of the relic and the Wizard King. Prosperity was found in the lands of Zaron;  
but in the forest a darkness brewed.

The elves felt cheated by the power of the relic as it did not affect their kingdom and the great and powerful wizard king refused to share the prosperity and wealth of his kingdom with their kind. He was consumed with an insatiable greed that caused him to alienate and make enemies of the elves, a mistake that would haunt the Kingdom of Kupa Keep for endless time. An elvish king rose to power in the forest to rival the power of the Wizard king himself. He spoke of the prosperity the elves could posses if they themselves held the relic.

A fierce battle loomed on the horizon for the stick of truth. The relic once meant to bring peace was now an object of desire, horded by the greedy Wizard King Cartman.

Another war was brewing in the lands of Zaron.

\--------------------------------------

Heavy shoes made his footfalls echo down the large hallways of the grand castle. Each step brought him closer to his destination, each corner he turned leading him deeper and deeper into its depths. The thick robes that adorned his body swayed with each heavy step. The teal and aqua hues that belonged to the house of Stotch had adorned his body for as many years as he had lived. His family crest was displayed proudly in gold embroidery upon his chest, visible between the gap in his lengthy vest. The ends brushed the floor in sync with the footsteps of his reinforced leather boots. Upon his hip sat his embellished and blessed hammer, Peacekeeper. A strong weapon passed down from each royal paladin to the next ever since it had been gifted upon the Divine Knights, protectors of faith in the Kingdom of Kupa Keep. 

The end of the hallway was in sight, including the large double doors that led to his final destination. The throne room of the wizard King himself. 

Paladin Stotch had long since gotten used to entering the throne room of the wizard king. The threats and torments he would put his closest subjects through had become routine and he was not afraid of what might befall him for the kings simple amusement. 

Guards stood on their side of the door in armor and he nodded to the both of them. They were familiar faces, after all he made trips to the throne room at least four times a day, every day. King Cartman was kind of a needy bitch if he were to voice his honest thoughts.

The heavy doors were pushed open and his footsteps slowed until he could walk into the room without disturbance. Carpet as red as blood stretched out down the grand hallway in front of him leading directly to the throne that sat behind a large oak desk. His blue eyes met those of the king from across the room and he promptly made the long walk to the throne. 

On either side of the lush carpet guards stood at attention. He pitied them and the job they were tasked with, but he'd served his own time standing still during his younger years. Everyone had to start somewhere in this kingdom and the cruel reality was that usually where you started was where you ended up unless you gave your body and soul to the king by either joining his army or the Divine Knights. Even then, your success was only partially likely, it was a rough system.

Calmly the Paladin reached the foot of the throne and halted his footsteps. In one fluid motion he swept his robes back and kneeled in front of his king with a grace and formality attained only through years of practice. His head and neck were bowed perfectly as his right arm crossed in front of his chest, matched by his left arm behind his back. This was the position of submission, the one all who faced the king, besides the princess and a few others, had to assume when greeting him. 

"Rise my Paladin Knight." The Wizard king lifted his hand, the sleeves of his long robe trailing softly over the edges of his desk. Butters did as he was told and stood to once again face his king directly. 

"You have news for me? I trust that is the reason for your visit." The large Oak table was filled with maps and letters tied and sealed with red ribbon and wax. He might have thought he was interrupting something important if it wasn't for the plate of freshly roasted turkey that rested near his King's right hand.

"Yes your majesty." He bowed at the waist and proceeded with the message that had been trusted to him. "My lord there is word of movement in the elven forest. A war cry was heard and it's assumed that they are preparing to march upon this very castle."

The king scoffed and Butters looked at him with concern.

"March upon this castle? Foolish, who do those elven scum think they are planning to attack. That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard." He almost sounded amused and Butters pursed his lips as the King resumed eating in front of him. "Paladin Butters, this castle is fortified by towering walls and a vast army. What would happen if the elves foolishly decided to attack?"

"Well h-hopefully they would fail, my lord." King Cartman glared and Butters waited for the inevitable scolding he was bound to receive because of his poorly chosen words.

"Hopefully? They will fail you dumbass. Our men are stronger and we have the relic protecting us."

"Whispers fly and say that they plan to steal the relic." At his words the King visibly stiffened in his chair. At least he was paying more attention now.

"They plan to steal our relic? What the fuck are they thinking." He hated being the bearer of bad news but Butter's had to continue with the entirety of his message. He stood up straighter and met his King's eyes with a fierce look of his own.

"Your majesty we are missing three of our b-best allies at the moment as well. If the elves decided to attack now we will not be as strong as normal." That gained the wizards attention as he stood abruptly from his chair causing it to scoot back against the cold stone floor.

"Where the hell are they?! What do you mean they are missing?!" He was angry, but Stotch was used to this. The wizard king of Kupa Keep was known for his greed, gluttony and of course his quick anger.

"Feldspar was sent on a reconnaissance mission weeks ago your majesty. The Barbarian's have r-returned to rebuild their houses and village that had been damaged and Commander Token is at this moment back home and away from the castle my liege." Idly he fingered at the hammer at is belt in anticipation for his response. With sheer willpower he resisted the urge to rub his knuckles together, that was a habit he was trying his best to break. They had an army, but without their commanders and the help of the strong Barbarian clans, their strength was easily halved.

"Damn it." The king hit his hand onto his desk and quieted in thought. The room became still as it too seemed to wait on the orders of the king to move and breathe life into the world. "Send a raven after Feldspar immediately. He is to return to the castle after re-enlisting the help of any of the barbarians upon his return. Commander Token's home is not far, i will have you ride out at once to find him. Time is of the essence Butters. Make haste with these letters." 

Butter's stepped forward with a slight bow and watched in silence as the king wrote down his instructions onto three different papers and sealed each individually. He accepted them with a bowed head. 

"It shall be done your majesty. I will return with the Commander p-promptly and the rest of those fellas." With all three letters tight in hand, Paladin Butter's turned with a sweep of his robes and walked briskly from the throne room. 

"Oh and Butter's. If you see the princess will you inform her that her presence is required in the throne room." He paused and nodded his head politely.

"I sh-shall inform her my lord." With his final words he left the throne room through the same doors he entered. A knight joined him on his right and kept pace as their feet carried them down the large hallways. 

"Is the threat of war real Paladin Butters? Do you think our castle will fall?" 

"I do not think it Clyde." He replied with a curt tongue and looked at the soldier with soft eyes. They came to a slowed stop and he gently placed a hand on the young soldiers arm. "This castle and the men that defend it are strong. B-be careful the words you let slip in the presence of our king." the warning was meant for Clyde's own good. That solider in particular was terrible at holding his tongue and keeping idiocy out of his language. Butter's had a hard time insulting or holding a grudge against anyone, so he held no ill will towards Clyde. He just worried for his general well being.

"Right. I'll keep that in mind." Stotch patted him on the shoulder and turned to walk down the hallway. He passed a servant and sent them to ready his horse. If he was to fetch Commander Token then he needed to leave promptly in order to get there in time. Silently he prayed that the carrier raven would reach Sir Feldspar fast enough. Without the skilled thief their cause was lost, he was their knife in the night. The King's personal assassin and rouge knight. 

Butter's entered a slimmer hallway that cut around the edges of the castle and emerged at the foot of a spiraling staircase. The far wall of the staircase was draped with spiraling purple and dark pink fabric. To his pleasant surprise a beautiful figure descended the staircase with grace and stopped at the bottom step.

"Oh. To what do I owe the pleasure Paladin Stotch?" The princess folded her hands gracefully together and smiled at Butters with charm. He had to swallow the lump in his throat and remember why he was there in the first place.

"My lady. The Wizard King has requested your presence in the throne room." He bowed formally at the waist and remained there as he awaited orders. Oh he was just a mess in her presence. Then again most of the soldiers in the palace were as well. A delicate hand touched underneath his chin and he lifted his head and posture at her urging.

"We are friends my Paladin, there is no need for you to bow so low." Her smile was soft and for once not hidden by the scarves she would often wear. Her blonde hair fell in gentle waves around her face only to be collected by the ribbons at the ends and similarly golden lashes framed beautiful blue eyes. Butter's was a sucker for blue eyed people. 

"Why doth the Wizard King request my humble presence?"

What? Oh right, he was delivering a message, he'd almost forgotten.

"He wishes to discuss battle plans with you Milady. There are whispers of the elves planning an attack, as we speak I am supposed to be on my way to fetch Commander Token." Her hands were folded gently together once more but the feeling of her white gloves lingered on his chin.

"I see. I shall go council with him then. Thank you for delivering this message." She picked up her skirts slightly and made towards the hallway with measured steps and her head held high. Butters found himself watching her walk away and he turned slightly where he was standing only to be caught off guard as she paused and turned back to face him. 

"Oh and, be careful my Paladin. Have a safe journey." With a smile she departed down the narrow hallway and Butter chided himself as soon as he noticed that he was rubbing his knuckles together. That horrid habit always seemed to return when he was nervous. 

With a sigh he took off down the hallway, his robes making a delicate swish with each of his heavy steps. This was no time for frivolous behavior, he had birds to send on their way and a commander to collect. Within the hour he'd sent the messenger bird and was mounted on his faithful steed Majorine. It was time to collect their commander.


	2. Letters and Shadows

The cloak behind him tugged and fluttered endlessly in the wind. It was as dark as the horse that propelled him through the trees and along the road at an alarming rate. His hands still felt heavy with the dual blades that only moments ago had slashed through the necks of mortals upon his King's orders. The swords themselves now rested at his hips and bounced along in time with the beat of his horses hoofs. Above him the moon was nothing but a sliver at his back as he fled the small village he had infiltrated.

Being the royal assassin and thief had its perks but it was not a merciful job. He'd known this when he'd been recruited for the position early on in the formation of their kingdom. Despite his awareness the deeds of his past and undoubtedly his future often sat heavily within his chest. Externally he was the epitome of calm and collected, apathetic in nature and unperturbed by the distinction of his assignments.

Internally he'd always been conflicted. Late when everyone else was sleeping he suffered the slings and arrows of his own thoughts and the guilt he felt. All the better to deal with it alone at night than in the light of day where all of his sins were bared to those he passed on the street.

Branches whipped at his heavily clothed arms and threatened to tear his darkened hood from where it shadowed his face precariously. Icicles had begun forming on the outside of his carefully wrapped scarf. Every exhale caused more moisture to condense and freeze upon the surface of the thick wool that concealed the lower half of his face.

He was clothed like the night itself, the dark browns and blacks of the leather tightly adorning his forearms, shoulders, shins and knees offered protection from blows as well as sight. His movements were silenced by the thick fabric of the cloak that was violently whipped by the cold winter winds as he rode at a break neck pace. The sooner he was gone, the easier his task would be and then he could go home and forget about their peaceful sleeping faces and his daggers plunging deep into their throats.

Craig swallowed thickly and snapped the leather reigns in his tight grasp, egging on the black stallion propelling him forward at such a pace. The ground disappeared beneath his horses hoofs as they rode straight through the night as was customary.

About the time he felt like passing out and falling sideways off of Stripe, his horse had also slowed and was showing signs of fatigue. Silently he ammended their pace with a gentle tug to the reigns and reached down to pat his neck affectionately.

"Almost there." He muttered the words through tired lips and looked far into the horizon. The calm smoke of a chimney fire floated in the distance and he breathed a sigh of relief and exhaustion. Jobs of this nature were always emotionally and physically exhausting and in a near sleep-induced stupor he rode down the hill and into the small village.

Knavenshire. He knew this village well and luckily for him the village knew him only as a frequent traveler that passed through. A messenger for the King, which was more or less accurate.

The stables were just inside the village and without hesitance he slipped from his worn saddle and tossed the young boy tending the horses five silver pieces. He was over-paying by a lot but unknown to all, he liked to do that for these smaller villages. There was also the fact that he couldn't be bothered to search for and count out the proper amount at the moment. He was one minute away from passing out in an alleyway as it were.

The young stable hand, all too happy to take good care of his horse, quickly led Stripe to water and Craig found himself watching as the horse was guided by able hands. Over-paying also ensured that his horse was very well taken care of which made it easier for him to nearly stumble his way into the Giggling Donkey. Stripe was his main companion and sometimes he realized that his horse was more important to him than most of the people he knew.

As silly as the name was, the Inn was famous for its fair prices and willingness to house weary travelers at any time of day. The sun had only just risen as Craig pushed open the door to the Inn and headed towards the wall-manned bar. Silence was his specialty and his presence wasn't even acknowledged until he tossed the appropriate amount of coin onto the counter and cleared his throat.

The Inn-keeper jumped slightly where he stood and turned sharply to face him with a barely concealed yawn.

"Single room." He watched with a monotonous expression as the man counted the money with an expression of exasperation.

"A little early to be getting a room isn't it?" The thief responded by lifting his middle finger at the man. It might have been interpreted as offensive but Craig knew the man behind the counter. He had shared a few glasses of ale with him and it was no surprise that the bartender chuckled and reached below to grab a key off of one of the many hooks.

"Same room as always. It's good to see you in good health Feldspar. Hopefully it won't kill you to stay a day or two this time. There are a quite a few heartbroken ladies in this town who would be excited to hear of your return." With of a roll of his eyes he swiped the key from the counter in one fluid motion and turned on his heal. The only response he gave was a lazy wave over his shoulder and a muttered "Uh huh" before he was climbing the stairs to the left.

His room was the third door to the right. It was only one floor up and there was clear window access with an easy way down the side of the building. He chose this room many years ago because it was easy to escape from if the need ever arose. At the moment he was just happy to have a horizontal, semi-comfortable surface to collapse on, cape and all. The door was shut and locked firmly behind him and as soon as his face hit the pillow and fur blankets he was asleep and lost in a dreamland.

Sleep may have evaded him for the past few days but he caught up on it then and there. Comfort like this was a luxury when he was on the road with tasks assigned by the King or Princess. It was only once his tasks were done that he felt relaxed enough to find comfort in a soft bed anywhere. The nature of his job had taught him how to sleep lightly and anywhere possible if he need be. Both skills he was grateful for.

He only ever anticipated to get a few hours of shut eye before the nightmares and memories would plague his mind and force him awake like they normally did. However, it wasn't the faces of those he had slain that startled him from his sleep that afternoon, but the sound of a gentle tapping on the window. 

Immediately he was wide awake, crouched on his bed with both of his blades in hand. His cape settled around his shoulders and feet, centimeters from being tangled hopelessly around his legs.

At his window sat a raven. Not just any raven, it wore an ankle tag of gold with a paper attached. It was one of the kings messenger birds. His gut clenched at the realization and something akin to dread welled up in the back of his throat.

Without hesitation he rose to his feet and opened the window to let the bird in. Ravens were the smartest birds in Zaron and this was evident as it hopped onto the internal windowsill and held its leg aloft for Craig to grab the letter. Sure enough, the Kings seal sat in a bloody red color upon the outside of the parchment, marking it forever with the royal crest of his majesty, the Wizard King.

The parchment crackled as he slid his thumb under the red wax and steadily un-rolled the paper. As he suspected it was orders from the Wizard king himself, sent by the Divine Paladin Stotch. His eyes scanned the parchment faster than they should have after awakening and he quickly reached the end of his orders.

The elves were preparing to attack and the kingdom was vulnerable. He felt relieved that it wasn't another field mission, with these orders he could return home. That was after a pit stop. Craig smirked at his second set of instructions on the paper about visiting a very particular village of people. The Barbarians.

It was such a crude name but then again they had picked the name themselves. Craig thought that it hardly fit them as people since they weren't barbaric, just incredibly strong and less technologically advanced than other humans. Back during the chaos it was said that many humans picked fights with them and lost, as allies they were brilliant.

A pain stabbed his finger and Craig cursed as he looked down at the raven that had bit him. He shared a glare with a bird and heaved a sigh as his hand hunted around in his side pouch. He produced a piece of bread for the bird and it immediately consumed it as he went to the desk in his room and composed his answer. As per usual his replies were short and sweet even in writing and his neat signature scrawled across the paper in dark black ink. 

While he waited for the parchment to dry he went back to the bird, much more friendly now that it had eaten something, and calmly stroked two fingers over the crest of its head. The ravens were usually well behaved and he understood that like him, it had probably been traveling all night. In a moment of thoughtfulness he procured a small bowl from the desk and filled it with water from the washing bin and set it gingerly in front of the dark bird. Craig was pleased to watch it drink as he went back to his now dry scroll, rolled and sealed it before attaching it to the birds leg.

"To his majesty with you." He stroked his fingers down the birds back one more time before it hopped to the windowsill and took off with a powerful beat of its wings. For a moment his gaze lingered as the black raven turned into a line in the distance before all together disappearing. The sun was high in the sky and it was probably a little past high afternoon.

With a grunt he fell face first back onto the mattress with the intent of stealing a few more hours of sleep. Once the sun was ready to set he would take to the rode again with a slight change of plan. After all, there was a particular barbarian he wanted to pay a visit to and if he was to arrive there before tomorrow he would need to leave sooner rather than later.

Slowly his eyes closed as he let himself fall into the clutches of sleep once more.

...

The day was starting its slow transition to night when his body jerked itself upwards in bed. His hair was matted and plastered to his forehead with sweat. The cloth of his undershirt clung uncomfortably to his skin. This was normal. Waking up with horrible images and faces behind his eyelids was something he did every night and every day he took a deep breath to calm his nerves and forced himself to stand.

Craig practically drenched his whole body with the washing cloth and water from the stone basin as he tried to rinse away the feelings that clung to his skin. This routine helped him retain his apathy throughout the day. His monotone façade helped him deal with his job and the people in this world. Inside his heart was a general loathing of people, he found them fickle and uninteresting.

As he dressed, Craig reflected upon the first years he'd started this career. He hadn't been affected then, killing hadn't been a problem for him. It had been easy to transition from his life as an incredibly young thief during the years of anarchy, to aiding the king in his less charitable tasks and schemes.

But now he was tired. He was tired of killing and stealing and tying up all of the loose ends of the rug that this kingdom sat upon.

It was impossible to get out now. His job provided him with a higher social class than most and he lived comfortably like this. The only thing he was missing was peace of mind and happiness.

Craig snorted in mild amusement at his futile thoughts and strapped his daggers to his hips. Why he was even entertaining these thoughts he would never know. The sun was quickly approaching the horizon and it was well past time to leave this quiet village. His presence was a black stain upon their clean records anyway.

With one last sweeping gaze of the room he flicked his hood up to cover his head and departed from the room, key in hand. His body felt more rested, powerful and ready for another long journey. The only thing that stood between him and his exit was the nightly bar goers that had accumulated in the ground floor of the Inn. Silently his footwork led him around people that gathered in groups near tables and the bar counter. 

He caught the eye of the bartender and tossed his room key over the head of an unsuspecting woman. It was caught by the Inn keeper and before he could be tempted to stay and drink he headed towards the door. Feldspar, as he was known by that name to most people, had a reputation of departing suddenly from the village without a trace at odd hours. He would admit that he did work odd hours but he also liked to escape before any scenes could be caused. Particularly scenes involving-

"Feldspar! Oh ladies look!"

-Women... He liked to avoid the women of this village. They were touchy and nosy and nice, but as far as he could remember he'd just never been interested in things like that. Things being ample bosoms and hiked up skirts. It really just wasn't his cup of ale.

Suddenly he had a face full of breast and arms full of expensive lace and woman. Shit.

"It's been so long since you've visited Feldspar! We missed you!" Fucking hell he couldn't breath with all of the fabric and cleavage in his face. Suddenly his dark cloak was snagged by another woman and his hands landed firmly upon shapely and suede clad hips.

"Why don't you spend the night with us good sir?" Her curly dark hair was pinned up eloquently but Craig doubted it would look like that by the end of the night. The prostitutes in this village, would be the death of him one day. There were three that particularly liked him and he didn't have an inkling as to why. He was an asshole to them.

"Milady, what a surprise to see you here." His voice was as flat as a straw mat but the girls pressed closer towards him all the same. "Really, I must be on my way." He cleared his throat and used his hold on the womans' hips to lift her up and set her firmly on the counter. While she squealed with delight he cringed and turned to escape through the opening he had made.

"Is there any reason you're leaving so soon?" One of the bouncier blonde girls wrapped herself around his arm and if he wasn't so damn good at his job and keeping his face calm he would have been red to his ears with the way she was pressing her bosom against him.

"No, but I am departing promptly." In unison they all groaned, complained and pulled at his clothes as if they were children seeking attention from a parental figure. What was this hell. He'd never even shown an ounce of interest in them and yet every damn time he visited. This happened. With a lot of effort he extracted himself from the too eager women and managed to make it to the door. 

His hasty retreat was immediately blocked by one of the villagers carrying in a large supply crate of mead and ale. In a quick attempt he dove to the side, leapt over the legs of a man on the verge of drinking himself unconscious and dove backwards out of the nearest window. The air rushed passed his face as he tumbled through the air and landed in a low crouch on the dirt of the road. His head was spinning and that had not been his most graceful of exits but he was out and that was all that mattered.

With freedom as his driving force he fled from the Inn and arrived at the stables just as the sun touched the lower horizon. It was a perfect time to travel and as soon as he got away from the brothel women he would be able to relax on the ride to the village of the barbarians. It was aptly named Barbadiham and was located to the west of Knavenshire, quite a distance away.

Women and drink now forgotten in his mind, he collected his horse from the stable boy and mounted him swiftly with practiced ease. It was high time he departed, the king was not known for his patience or kindness. 

Craig snapped the reigns in his hand and sat tall on the back of the stallion as it let out a winnie and started off at a trot down the road. Once they were out of the village they would be able to really increase their travel pace. So without any more obstacles he turned his horse towards the west and set off at a gallop out of town. 

The wind once again whipped at his cloak and hood and threatened to tear them from his shoulders. This routine, this was normal. He loved normal. The feeling of his trusty steed powering them forward across lush lands on familiar paths was a level of normal and boring that he craved. Getting used to traveling long distances had been one of the easiest transitions in his life. Boring and normal was his comfort zone and the recent letter describing war disturbed him and made him worry about the future a bit. For now, on the packed dirt of the road towards Barbadiham, normalcy was his travel companion and he thanked the goddess for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think in the comments section! Hope you enjoy! Next installment should be up soon.


	3. Midnight Visits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Enjoy!

Tweek stared at the ceiling absently. The strong wooden beams that supported his roof were surround by thousands of tiny flowers, both alive and dried up. Some of the colors had faded but the interwoven strands added life to what would have been a dark and lifeless thing to stare at. When you stare at the ceiling a lot during the night, eventually you'll need something to do with your time.

Most people, normal people that is, would find solace in sleeping during the dark hours of the night. Not Tweek. He preferred counting. Not by choice of course, if he could sleep he would but it was just better that he didn't ever sleep. The nightmares were far too vivid for him to actually want to sleep. Sometimes lack of sleep would just catch up to him in a rush and he'd wake up in strange places. Either slumped over his wooden desk or half on his bed and he'd be subject to the horrors of the night anyway. Really he tried to get at least a few hours of sleep a night.

The flowers were arranged in beautiful strands that were carefully wrapped around the beams. He would sometimes make them at night by himself or in the afternoon but without fail he would always pick the wild flowers with Bebe. They'd been long time friends in the Barbarian clan and for awhile the elders had speculated that they would become betrothed. That of course had been completely thrown out the window as soon as Tweek had developed an interested in one of the males in the village. I mean Bebe was beautiful but, for some reason he just couldn't feel any attraction towards her. Regardless they were the best of friends and being one of the strongest warriors of the king had left them little time to spend with his friend. 

Their village had been one of the most damaged during the drow elves' raids. Now that there was peace in the kingdom Tweek was relishing the peace and quiet that came with helping to rebuild a town. Each day a group of them would get up and work towards rebuilding homes and the towns square. It was hard work but their naturally strong bodies were able to put up with it. Whenever they had time off he and Bebe would put down their work and head to the field to pick flowers and catch up. Sometimes he felt silly doing it, but at night when his superstitions got to him he was happy to have the comforting strands hanging above his head. 

This night itself was dark and void of a moon. A slight chill ran along all of the land with promises of winter on its way. The fur and hand woven blankets that littered his bed kept Tweek warm as he stared upwards and contemplated exactly how many flowers he had on each strand. Maybe it was an even number? Oh Jesus he hoped it was an even number, he hated odd numbers so much. His eyes traveled the length of the strand counting each tiny flower so delicately woven in. 

A growing rumble from outside caught his attention and Tweek's breath caught up in his throat. It grew louder and louder and eventually he recognized it as the sound of a lone horse riding at a gallop into town. It was coming straight for him and he closed his eyes tightly and prayed that it would go past his house and fade into the background. Flowers completely forgotten his entire being was focused on the sound of the rumbling as it approached and slowed down. It wasn't until the sounds went past and disappeared down the street like he had hoped that he allowed himself to exhale. He might as well have been blue in the face it felt like he had been holding his breath for so long. 

As much as he tried the lingering voices in the back of his mind remained. They were right to do so. 

His eyelids had just started to become heavy with the temptation of sleep in his warm bed when there was another sound outside. The sound was softer and then he heard it, the horse. It let out a snort of what surely had to be demonic anger and oh god he could just see the possessed horse crashing through his window and coming for him in his sleep. 

In an instant the covers had been thrown back and Tweek was tiptoeing across the old wooden floorboards of his house and towards the only second-story window. His breath was shallow and fast as he stood parallel to the opening, too afraid to move and actually look out. What if it was as bad as he had originally thought? Oh god what if it was worse. He promptly imagined something worse and regretted it immediately.

Breath and confidence in his throat he peeked through a crack in the curtains at the dark street below his window. Everything looked calm. Except for the horse pawing restlessly at the cobblestone. It looked like a normal horse, but then again who could be sure? There was a black hooded stranger dismounting the horse and....ALL THINGS HOLY HE WAS HEADED FOR HIS DOOR! 

Tweek scrambled for the bedroom door, heart in his throat as he sprinted as quietly as possible down the steps and into the dark kitchen and dining area. What was he to do? Did this shadowed figure resembling death plan to take his life? He was too young to die! Oh god. Oh mighty lord he was not prepared for death to literally knock on his door. He'd always thought that was a figure of speech. It didn't matter how strong he was if he was going to have his soul stolen by the hooded knight of death itself!

He crouched behind the wooden counter and yanked a cast iron skillet from it's place on the stove. Fuck! he'd forgotten to wash the pot before he'd gone to bed! How stupid of him, that is how mice and insects became a problem. Did he want them crawling into his bed at night?

His brain became quite side-tracked until there was a knocking on the door. Did death knock before entering? Was that a thing? he was pretty sure vampire had to be invited in...or was that werewolves? Did any of them knock?

Tweek peeked over the counter and watched the door in silence. Like hell he was going to willingly open that door. It had three locks on it! Hah! He'd love to see death open that door by himself! Tweek was almost smug with his excessive locks on his door... that is until he watched the key in the first one slowly jiggle and turn and click intot he unlocked place.

The color drained from his face rapidly. 

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck! Shit all kinds of fuck oh shit! His teeth gnashed against his lip in terror as he stared frozen and wide-eyed as the second lock jiggled and clicked into the open position. FUUUUCK! He scrambled quickly to hold the cast iron in his hands tighter and battle practice kicked in. He ran towards the door silently and stood against the wall on the same side that the door opened from. He was going to get the jump on death and if this asshole thought he could take his soul, OH! He was so wrong. Tweek wasn't ready to face hell and eternal flames, oh no he was going to live. Maybe.

His pulse was astronomically loud in his ear as he watched the third an final lock jiggle and twist with a resounding click in the silence of the night. The door handle turned ever so, slowly in the paralyzing darkness of night and Tweek sucked in a breath and held it tight in the upper part of his chest. This was the end of his life. Here it was. Holding a cast iron pan and waiting for the door to swing wide open. 

Truthfully it wasn't the first time he'd had that thought, but all other near death experience seemed irrelevant when in the midst of one. Clearly this particular time he was fated to the die at the hands of a sickle in the dead of night. Bebe would find his lifeless body tomorrow, throat cut open and blood filling the entryway. Ew.

The door swung open and right as a figure appeared Tweek grunted and swiftly brought the skillet down onto the caped figures assumed skull and brain cavity. Assumed. Reapers may or may not actually have skulls but due to the fact that the pan did in fact hit something solid, he would like to assume that it hit a skull. 

The figure stumbled and swayed on his feet with a curse and a groan and fell to his knees. Shit, he wasn't dead?

"Fuck. Tweek what the hell?" Tweek had already lifted the skillet over his head against when he heard the familiar voice and looked at the slope of the nose and the cheeks bones of the man kneeling on his floor. 

"F-Feldspar?" The pan clattered loudly to the ground behind him as he stared at the cloaked man who had shifted his gaze to look directly at him. He had one eye closed but the other dark blue iris stared through the darkness right into Tweek's own eyes. 

"Y-yes... Hello" He winced and Tweek winced in response. Oh bother. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm so sorry. Does it still hurt? I'm so sorry. Oh man this is the worst. Who just breaks into someones house in the dead of night? I'm still sorry!" The unending stream of apologies flooded past his lips with fluidity like water. Feldspar had since been settled on the cushions in the main room of the house and had some ice on the rapidly growing bump on the back of his head, thanks to Tweek. 

Tweek was both guilty and angry. Who thought it was proper to just waltz in unannounced and then BREAK INTO SOMEONES HOME? He'd asked the question many times but had yet to receive an answer probably because Feldspar was too busy fighting back nausea due to a possible concussion. This was the worst possible situation that wasn't a death situation. 

Eventually his ceaseless apologies stopped and Tweek sunk down into a kitchen and stuck to sending glares Feldspar's way as a show of the fact that he was still angry.

"Who just breaks into a home like that..." he grumbled and looked pointedly at his long time friend as he nursed the head injury he had sustained. 

"Apologies...I had assumed you were asleep or not at home." Feldspar pushed the words past his clenched teeth and Tweek could tell another wave of queasiness washed over him because he promptly clamped his mouth shut.

"W-Well clearly I was awake. Gah please don't vomit!" He made a face and leaned away from the assassin. He'd never done well with medical anything, especially not vomiting sickness or stomach bugs. Tweek avoided all kinds of sickness like he was wary the plague would return at a moments notice. Which it could, mind you.

Craig wavered on the edge of okay for quite some time until the color returned to his face completely and he started to feel normal. Tweek still felt guilty for hitting him so brutally over the head but Feldspar had already warned him not to apologize anymore. After all they were both to blame for the events of the night.

Tweek got around to brewing some late night tea and lit a few candles around them as they both huddled under blankets and sat on the couch, nursing their mugs of freshly steeped leaves. 

"Your horse almost made my heart give out tonight." He sipped gently at the hot liquid and swallowed it eagerly, waiting for the calm that it would hopefully bring to his body.

"Again, I had figured that since the last battle you might have been okay with me dropping by in the night." Tweek rolled his eyes and gave a frustrated sigh. 

"T-That was....Ngh..." He struggled forwards and gripped his mug tighter. "We're in a time of peace now. I'm not expecting soldiers and -ngh people to drop by at this time." He took another hearty drink and for a moment debated if he should pour some mead into his cup as well but quickly dismissed the thought. Last time he'd done that he had seriously regretted it. The night terrors had been awful.

Craig nodded his head in an apologetic fashion and sipped at his drink. He made a face but Tweek pretended not to notice because Feldspar continued to drink anyway.

"What were you doing awake at this time anyway? Did my horse rouse you from slumber?" Tweek looked to the side. In all their years as acquaintances he had always avoided telling anyone the truth of his sleep, or non-sleeping habits. Feldspar probably knew the most but he still didn't know the complete unveiled truth. In addition he was still a little angry about the lock breaking, so he felt no reason to share. 

"Couldn't find a peaceful rest." Tweek shrugged and stared at the candle closest to him. Gently he reached out and ran his finger over the flame quickly. "Ngh! Not that I'm upset you're here b-but why the sudden visit?" He glanced over at the man holding an ice cloth to his head.

Feldspar pursed his lips. 

"I have a letter from the king. He needs our assistance but the details can be discussed in the morning. I have quite the headache-" A pointed stare was shot at Tweek "-and it is quite late." Tweek made a face of discomfort and an equally unappealing sound.

"I said I was sorry."

"Doesn't make the pain fade."

"Maybe next time don't use your sly fingers to pick my locks."

"I did knock." Tweek wasn't having it and he stood silently, dropping his blankets to the back of the couch and leaned down to blow out the candle closest to him. His feet carried him towards the staircase and he turned to call over his shoulder. 

"Ngh I want details in the morning and uh...if you need anything just ask. Quietly. Don't startle me." He frowned and left it at that. Out of the corner of his eye he swore he saw and obscene gesture from the other male but he figure it was the darkness playing tricks on him. As it was his tiredness had caught up with him and he prayed that he would finally be able to fall into a dreamless sleep. Probably not. he was haunted and he knew that all things evil were out to get him when he closed his eyes. 

Regardless his feet carried him to his bed and he snuggled deep under the pelts and blankets and shut his eyes. He didn't want to think about Feldspar, or the King, or whatever news awaited him as soon as the sun rose. Unfortunately all his brain even did was think and so he spent the night thinking and drifting in and out of a half asleep state. 

It was torture but it was also normal.


	4. Towards the Castle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I kinda feel like this chapter is boring and just goes in circles, so I'm sorry if it really is like that. Next chapter will definitely be more exciting things starting to happen! No idea when i'll get it up though sorry...  
> Enjoy!  
> -Sammie

Craig hated exciting things and things that didn't go as planned. The large bruise and bump on his head was definitely not planned and the massive head pain he woke too was also not to his liking. He was grumpy to start and not to mention there was something furry and heavy sitting directly on his bladder.

He had to relieve himself so badly.

With a groan he forced open sleepy eyes and was met with pale yellow eyes. A feline, presumably Tweeks', had made itself at home right on his stomach and was sprawled out on his chest. It was a beautiful white and black cat with long whiskers and yellow eyes but Craig had to use the bathroom and this cat was heavy enough to make it difficult to retain oxygen. Craig pushed the cat off of himself, much to the growl and dislike of the feline and sprung to his feet.

Sprung was a bit of an exaggeration. His head hurt and as much as he wished he was in a good enough condition to spring to his feet, he more drug himself out of bed and stumbled around with half-closed eyes in the pale light of the morn. After he was done taking care of his persistent need to relieve himself he ventured out to the back side of the house and looked out over the town of Barbadiham and took in the morning air. It was calm out and the hill leading into the heart of town was laid out in front of him to the east. It looked as if a few people had awoken and were walking around the square, already starting to rebuild.

He took a moment to remember and ask for forgiveness for the destruction of half of the village. He clenched a fist to his chest and remembered the elves when they attacked this village and how he'd rushed here with a small team, Tweek included, but they had arrived too late. Half off the town had been lit aflame and the elves were long gone. So many lives lost to the fight over the relic. The first fight.

"It wasn't your fault... Ngh"

Craig practically jumped out of his trousers and spun around, hand reaching for the dagger at his hip as he turned to see Tweek behind him. A clay-fired mug in his hand with a steaming liquid. Craig watched him flinch backwards at his sudden turn around but he exhaled and forced his arm down to his side again.

"Bloody hell, you scared me." Tweek ducked his head apologetically and muttered an apology, stuttering included.

"Didn't mean to scare you, you just looked...conflicted." Craig pursed his lips and cast a look over his shoulder at the town. "You've rebuilt a lot haven't you?"

"Ngh well, not just me. Bebe helps a lot but yeah. Everyone has put in effort and helped rebuild what is ours." Tweek stepped forward to look over at the town as well and Craig noted that he was barefoot. It wasn't entirely surprising considering that the Barbarians as a people were incredibly tough skinned and strong and preferred...less clothing than others. As it was Tweek was shirtless and only wearing loose cotton pants. His tribal tattoos were brilliantly on display in the morning light as they scrawled across his chest, shoulders and neck. Even the details across one of his eyes was noticeable and Craig found himself admiring them just a little bit in the sunlight. One of the designs disappeared right over his hip bone and below the waist of his pants and Craig pulled his gaze away from the tall individual and back to the horizon.

"We need to leave soon." He didn't wait for Tweek to acknowledge before he turned and strolled back into the small cottage that was Tweek's home. Craig started hunting for the remainder of his apparel immediately and grabbed his boots. Tweek had returned to the kitchen where he had apparently been for quite some time, brewing coffee because the whole house smelled like it.

He made sure Tweek wasn't about to peek into the room before he proceeded to strap all of his weapons on his person again. He didn't want to seem like the killer he actually was, especially around someone jumpy like Tweek. Especially around someone who had known him before...all of this. He swung his cape over his shoulders and attached it at the front, his midnight black hood resting on his shoulders heavily like the burden of his past as he joined Tweek in the kitchen.

"Here. A copy of the letter I received." He had taken the paper from a pouch on his hip and slid it across the wooden counter to Tweek's twitchy fingers.

He observed as the Barbarian took the parchment and read over it. He'd changed out of the loose cotton pants into his tight-fitting brown leather combat pants and Craig was glad to see that he was taking this seriously. As it was the feeling of dread had been growing restless in his own mind and he felt the sooner they left, the better situation they would be in when they reached the castle. Tweek made a noise of discomfort at the letter and slid it back over to him.

"You really think they're g-going to attack?" His brows were pinched together, pensive about the prospect of a fight in the near future.

"I don't see why they wouldn't. Without the relic in their position they are less prosperous. Significantly." He sighed and rolled the parchment up again, slipping it silently beneath his tunic. Tweek was chewing on his lip in thought.

"Alright...I'll need to talk to Bebe and get my bow." Feldspar nodded and did one last check around the house for anything he might have left there. They probably wouldn't be returning for awhile and he made sure to grab a piece of bread and some cheese that he found and wrap it tightly in a cloth to put in his bag. They would undoubtedly get hungry along the journey, it would take about a day on their horses.  
Tweek returned with his quiver strapped tightly over his bare chest and a rough bag that appeared to have clothing in it. He grabbed what looked like some dried meat and they departed.

Tweek informed him as Craig untied his horse and tightened his saddle that they would have to go more into the village to get Tweek's horse and find Bebe. He mounted Stripe and held a hand down to Tweek to pull him onto the back of his sturdy horse. Stripe made a sound of annoyance at the weight of two people and Craig rubbed and patted his neck in reassurance before they rode off down the dirt rode towards the center of town. Feldspar buckled down for what was probably going to be quite a journey, he didn't like that fact that things were starting to get exciting.

\-------------------------------------------------------

Tweek spotted the bouncy blonde haired girl long before she spotted them riding towards her on Feldspar's horse. She was lifting a beam of wood for the old couples house they had been working on the previous day. She was lifting it as if it were a tiny stick rather than a massive beam of heavy oak wood and Tweek pulled a face at her strength. Was he ever glad that she was a friend and not a foe.

They approached slowly and waited for her to place the beam down against the side of the house before calling out to her. Tweek hopped down from the horse and embraced her. He looked over his shoulder at feldspar still perched on the horse and introductions were short and sweet.

"Bebe this is Fel-"

"Feldspar. Yes we have met before, a time ago." She smiled sweetly at him Tweek looked between them in confusion. There was an underlying tension that he couldn't place and decided it probably best that he not even bother to mention it or bring it up. Pushing on with the conversation was surly the best course of action. 

"We are departing for the main kingdom." She turned to look at him in alarm.

"Tonight?"

"Right now Milady." Feldspar interjected and shifted awkwardly on the saddle of his horse. Bebe narrowed her eyes and turned a sharp gaze upon Tweek. Oh dear gods what had he done wrong this time. In his defense he quickly held up the rolled parchment that explained in detail the nature of their voyage and the kings needs for their assistance. As if a piece of parchment would protect him from a scolding from his friend.

"These are our orders! Ack!" With one eye cracked he observed as she closed her mouth and proceeded to unroll and read the parchment. Tweek paced closer to the horse while she read and jumped when he thrust the paper back in his direction. 

"I understand. Although I do not like it, the king is to be obeyed." She walked closer and forcibly grabbed Tweeks face and knocked her head against his in a customary Barbarian goodbye and held their foreheads together. "Promise me that you will be safe and send word as soon as you have arrived at the castle." Tweek nodded and gave her a shaky smile. Hopefully he would remember to send word. If he forgot she would hold those words over his head for an eternity. Possibly not in a serious light but definitely forever. If there was one thing Bebe was good at, it was remembering things to tease him about. Ugh. He twitched like a cat startled by it's own reflection and started walking towards the stables.

Tweek had collected his horse and soon enough they were ready to depart. Bebe had her instructions to collect more of the finest warriors from Barbadiham and to meet them as soon as they sent word for those very troops. In the mean time they had to ride quickly so as to prevent any harm from falling upon the castle immediately. What if the castle was to be attack while they were still a day away? Oh gods, Tweek shivered at the thought and snapped his reins to ride faster behind Craig's steed. He rode up next to the male as trees passed on either side of them and gave him a serious look. 

"Do you think we will make it in time?" He tried not to show the quivering he felt deep inside of his gut. Feldspar spared him a glance and looked ahead with a spark of determination in his eye that left Tweek speechless.

"I do not know. There may be only one way to find out." Tweek nodded and they rode the day away through the forest. Despite top speeds it would still take time to get there. If they rode continuously without many breaks it would be about two days ride and they would need to rest for the night. Hopefully the castle could hold on until then. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Butters dismounted his horse in the rocky drive he had reached and stared at the mansion of great wealth in front of him. Sir Token had always known how to live comfortably, that was for sure. He almost felt guilty interrupting the life he had returned to after the last war they had been in but as it was such, Command Token was desperately needed. Butters worked up his internal courage and haste and walked briskly to the door.

It was enormous and loomed in front of him almost like the mighty trees themselves that surrounded the house. One hand atop his hammer he braved his fist against the mighty oak door and heard the sound echo into what was probably a large foyer. With nervous tension he shifted from one boot clad foot to the other and waited for the master of the house to answer. 

The door swung open and rather than being greeted by Sir Token, as he had expected, a well dressed man opened the door and motioned him inside. 

"Ah. Sir, welcome inside. Sir Token was not expecting guests today, to what does he owe this visit?" Butter's stepped into the foyer and much like he'd imagined it was grand and well furnished and fitting of a man of Token's status. Butters turned to the butler and nodded his head. 

"I am here on official business for the King. Sir Token's presence is requested in the Throne room urgently." The Butler seemed a little surprised and opened his mouth to speak when a familiar voice called down from above.

"Paladin Butters! What a pleasant surprise!" Both gentlemen in the foyer looked upwards at the top of the grand staircase where the man of the house descended the stairs gracefully with a smile on his face as was customary of the man. Butters immediately noticed the difference between this Token, man of the house, and Commander Token of the battle field. One was serious and ready to make tough calls in all manner of situations and this Token, was warm and inviting. Both were nice, Butters had always liked Token.

"Commander T-Token." He smiled and bowed slightly at the waist in a formal greeting, nothing as extreme as one would give a king but definitely a bow.

"What brings you all the way out here?" Token reached the main landing and promptly crossed the foyer to shake Butter's hand with vigor. These are the times that Butters' wished he had a stronger handshake as his hand felt slightly crushed after the greeting. 

"I wish I were sent for pleasantries but I bring you a letter f-from the king." Without formalities Butter's handed over the sealed parchment from the king that he had been carrying for the entire horse ride up oh so carefully. Token's brow furrowed as he took the parchment and unsealed it. Butter's watched carefully as his eyes scanned the script and what had been a pleasant expression became more serious and concerned. Their eyes met upon his completion of the letter and Butters forcibly resisted his urge to rub his knuckles together behind his back. 

"If what I read is true, then we should depart immediately."

"Yes my Lord."

"Then I shall gather my things and meet you in the courtyard." Butters nodded and bowed slightly as the Commander in his full returned presence swept from the room like a strong gale. Butters excused himself from the house and went to stand beside his beautiful steed Marjorine. He sighed and placed his hand upon her mane deep in his own thoughts. 

"...How has it come to this so fast?" It was a redundant question because he knew the answer, it was simple. They held the power and refused to share it. Naturally there would be a fight...there would be bloodshed again. 

Internally he hardened his resolve to their cause. He refused to let the wondrous people and children fall once more into the depravity that was their kingdom without the relic. If it meant his own life then he would lay it down in an instant. Strong hands gripped the reigns as he mounted and backed his steed up in preparation to leave. 

It was a short time later that thundering hooves were heard and from a back gate the commander rode forward. His professional attire and armor reflected the seriousness of the situation as he rode up next to the Paladin and shifted on his horse. 

"Are we to take the direct route then?" Butters nodded and felt the weight of the hammer against his thigh grow heavy in anticipation. 

"Yes, if the kings information be correct then forces already move. The K-kingdoms are not yet aware of the threats but the fastest route back is our best bet."

"And if we run into the enemy?" Token stared at him with a growing hardness in his eyes. The hardened resolve of one that had committed crimes in the past and was willing to do so again. Butters returned his grave expression as he squared his shoulders towards the journey ahead. 

"I think you know the answer to your question already My Lord." With words floating in the somber air he snapped his reins and both departed the estate. It would be half a days journey back to the kingdom and if they were lucky it would be battle free. That didn't stop their weapons from burning hot against their sides as they rode. How long had it been since his blood had burned hot and his hammer had wrecked havoc upon Drow elves? Not long enough if you asked his opinion. 

\-------------------------------------------------------

...........Deep in the forest a King paced upon his throne. Crown held high upon his head supported by pointed ears he vowed for the return of greatness to his people. Too long they had been pushed aside and forced to live in these conditions. It was finally time and he was going to take back what was rightfully theirs. For eternity...


	5. First Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright yeah...I haven't updated since October. I'm the absolute worst. in my defense though i really have no defense except school and work. I've put a lot into this chapter though and things are starting to pick up and I might have more free time.
> 
> Can't say the same about motivation though. I hope you enjoy this chapter regardless though! :) Cheers

His throne sat high in the tall trees of the great forest and was wound deeply into the bark. The ground was far below but the trees branches were wide enough for transporting even horses across if it was needed.

The great branches weaved many pathways for them. Seldom did they leave the trees or the forest. But a darkness was consuming the edges of the forest and it was only a matter of time before they would have nothing left but the dirt beneath the roots of their trees. Without the relic they were doomed to starve and eventually perish entirely. Which is probably exactly what that fat ass king wanted.

Upon his throne sat the highest among all the elves. Marveled at for his rare auburn hair and fierce green eyes he was adorned with the richest of robes and colors. A fire burned within him, lit by his spirit for justice and equality. Just beyond the trees, through a space in the branches he could see it looming atop the hill. HIS castle. The evil fat one.

"I hate him..."

He grumbled under his breath and stared into the distances piercingly.

"Did you say something?" His right hand man, and traitor tot he human kingdom, Stanley turned to face him fully. Kyle dismissed him with a wave of his hand and continued to look into the far off trees.

"Nothing worth repeating. Any word from the scouts yet?" He sat up straighter in his throne and eyed his long time friend with a delicately arched eyebrow.

"None yet your majesty." Kyle frowned and let out a well contained sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"This is maddening! I loathe waiting for this. Especially when it's so close at hand." He folded his hands together in his lap to try and find some kind of patience.

"You were never the most patient were you?" Stan was smirking at him and the high elf's lip twitched in response.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Stan was fully grinning now and Kyle didn't know whether to be annoyed or if he wished to smile back at his long time friend.

"You just like to have results right away, there is nothing wrong with that my lord."

"Perhaps so." he pursed his lips. "Regardless you must agree that the sooner we hear word of their movement that sooner we can attack and take back what is rightfully ours."

Stan nodded as his smile was wiped clean off his face. Too long had the greedy wizard king held power in the land. They both agreed that it was high time he fell like was destined.

The forest was dying, wilting from the roots upwards as an illness was soaked up through the water. There was darkness in the soil, a poison running rampant and Kyle knew it must be the poison of man. They did not respect nature and that greedy king, oh it was all his fault. His fingers clenched into fists in his lap as his thoughts turned dark and murderous. He would not stand to see his forest fall, not while he sat on this throne and wore this crown.

A nimble and young elf slowed to a walk at the doorway and touched a finger to his lips. He glided to one knee upon the smooth wood branch in front of the throne. His gesture was customary of meeting or addressing the high elf and it was appreciated as Kyle eased his tension and looked at the newly arrived scout.

"My lord we have infiltrated the forest surrounding the castle and we await further orders."

The great elf king sat up straighter in his throne and smiled at the scout who bowed so gracefully upon the floor.

"Excellent. Ready the archers and move as swiftly as the wind. We attack at dawn. Stan-" He turned to face his most trusted commander and knew from his understanding gaze that his role was already clearly defined in his eyes. "You know where you are needed."

Stanley nodded and slid his hand around the ornate handle of his sword in preparation and oath.

"I will be swift my lord." He moved from the room and Kyle watched him go with eager but worried eyes. It was almost time and he loathed that he was waiting behind in this poisoned sanctuary.

The scout was long gone as well and he was alone in his beloved forest. There wasn't much to do regarding the front lines from this position but he had an idea of what he could do. Gracefully he stood and left the room, his deep red robes brushing the wood of the large branches supporting his feet as he walked across their surface. Even if he wasn't directly on the battle field he could visit those that had been on it, that were fighting for him and his cause. Their cause. For their people and their way of life.

He reached the ornate wooden door and was greeted by a tall elf with soft blonde hair and white robes.

"To what does our infirmary owe this visit my lord?" She questioned him softly and tilted her head to the side. Kyle smiled and crossed his arms in front of himself.

"I've come to pay our brave warriors a visit. If I may." His tone was gentler, the kind of tone one would use when stepping out into the first snowfall of the winter. Soft like snow but warm like a fire on a cold day. The nurse elf nodded and pushed open the large doors with a smile of her own. Kyle mused that she was very beautiful and was probably loved very much by many of the patients.

Kyle closed his eyes and sent a positive thought towards the battle field, but more importantly he sent it towards Stan. May they succeed and may his people rise once more as the great elves of the forests of Zaron.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Concentration was key. Breathing steady and being calm, relaxed with each breath. Focusing on the target and letting nothing else distract from the end goal.

Except...his gaze was drawn slightly above the tip of his arrow, upon the most delicate but most beautiful of mother natures creations. A single snowflake had come to rest on the tip of his arrow, at the very end of his taught bow. It was positively lovely and it gave him pause as he slowly loosened his grip of the bow and lowered it to a relaxed position.

"Feldspar..." He spoke in a hushed tone and from behind him came a quiet grunt of affirmation that at least proved that his traveling companion must have heard him.

"Look... It's snowing." Tweek looked towards the sky and held his hand out to watch the gentle flakes pile into his hand like tiny vanishing miracles.

"Snow? Isn't it a bit early for snow?"

Tweek looked up from his now damp palm and observed as Craig looked to the sky in confusion. He slid his bow over his shoulder; the rabbit he had been previously marking forgotten completely.

"Maybe winter decided to come early." He was almost mesmerized by the snow, a moment of hushed peace in their mad dash to the castle. Yet Feldspar just had to go and bring it all crashing down.

"If winter is already here then we need to keep moving now. We're not equipped to handle the winter weather." He was walking briskly back towards where the horses were grazing. Tweek couldn't help but wonder how in his long pants, tunic, and heavy cloak, Feldspar somehow wasn't equipped for winter weather.

They had stopped in the late afternoon to give the horses a chance to rest. Tweek's horse had only been on occasional short distance runs in the recent months. He understood that his horse was both exhilarated by the distance and also tired.

Tweek returned to his horse next to Craig and hopped up to slip into the saddle. A disgruntled noise left the mouth of his steed and Tweek heard Feldspar echo it with a sigh of his own from his perch atop his dark horse next to them.

"A sigh of contempt?" Tweek questioned his friend as his horse pawed at the rapidly accumulating layer of snow. It was coming down heavier now than it had when it first started to snow.

"No." Craig took the reins and adjusted his saddle as he looked over at Tweek. "A sigh of regret, for the end of peaceful and boring times." Tweek let the idea settle in his head and mulled it over before he shrugged and turned his reigns towards the whitening path.

"I don't think we've had a true time of peace for many years. Not since the staff was discovered in the tombs."

A silence ate their conversation up and both looked away, into opposite distances. Tweek's gaze drifted back towards the sky as the flakes continued to gain weight and substance and their horses set off along the path. They were graceful, too graceful for this harsh world he mused. That was probably why snow was so hated by mankind. Snow and winter were the least favorite season of almost every person he knew. Tweek liked winter, even if he did get cold with his minimal clothing. It was steady and quiet, calming and serene. Things he wished he could be.

A twig snapped loudly to his right and he inhaled sharply and swiveled to look directly into the dense woods surrounding them. The sun had started to sink but their only indicator was the light slowly slipping away around them. His head flooded with the possibilities of what could be in the woods. Deer? Bear? Ghosts or demons? Elves? Okay, elves were likely and so was deer, but so was bear. He reached silently but haphazardly for his bow and drew an arrow from his quiver. He looked on between the trees and focused to capture any unnatural movement between the towers of wood.

"Tweek?" Craig had noticed him draw his bow and was slowing the pace of his horse. He notched his arrow in the bow as he continued to ride forward.

"Don't s-slow the pace. I heard something." Craig's eyes immediately went to the forest around them as well. He snapped his reigns and brought his horse to a faster gallop, taking the lead. Tweek followed by digging his heel slightly into the side of his horse to urge her on faster. They jumped forward into motion in the forest and as they distanced themselves from the spot in the background his tension started to ease. Craig matched his pace and spoke against the wind and snow as they rode.

"You know it was probably just a deer or something right?" Ugh! Yes, he knows. He is well aware of what it could or could not have been but what if it hadn't just been a deer? He swore nobody ever considered the what if's properly and that's why they died prematurely.

"Yeah, but it might have been an elf..." Or a demon, his inner voice put its two pence into the topic and he promptly shushed it. He didn't need that kind of negative thinking when he was trying to concentrate.

"Right." Craig's tone was slightly skeptical and Tweek pursed his lips.

"You don't believe me? Ngh!" He sheathed his arrow and slung his bow back over his shoulder. He was getting irritated with Feldspar's attitude, it felt like he wasn't taking their mission seriously. Tweek grasped his horses reins again and snapped them to pull ahead of the dark clad companion next to him.

Fine. He would just keep his safety warnings to himself. He would be safe and live a long, somewhat healthy life and Craig could die young. It is possible that he could contract the plague of some kind and end up dying young anyway not on the battle field, or get struck by lightning. Did snow clouds conduct lightning like rain clouds did? His thoughts dissolved into paranoid chaos.

Deep in his thoughts he picked up on the sound of air being cut in half, just a second too late. Tweek turned his head in time to see an arrow headed straight for him. He had just started to lean back, a bit too little too late when a strong grip on his quiver yanked him out of the way of the arrow.

"S-Shit!" He cursed as the arrow struck the tree behind him with a resounding thunk and he slid backwards on his horse, nearly falling off. The arrow vibrated at a rate equal to his current heart rate a he looked back at Craig who still had an uncomfortable hold on his quiver. The horses were spooked into a frenzied halt and Tweek was practically bent over backwards as his horse kicked her front legs upwards.

"Fuck! Shit, F-FUCK!" He scrambled for the reigns as he hoisted himself back to a sitting position.

"Run!" Craig shouted and jerked his own reigns to turn his horse off the path and into the thickly packed woods. Tweek jumped into action and followed inbetween the thick trees. A few arrows struck the ground and trees around them. Tweek took notice of the three different feather types he could see at the ends of the arrows. That meant three different attackers on their tails.

His thighs gripped tightly to his galloping horse as he drew a dark green feathered arrow from his quiver and notched in a fluid motion. He drew his bow taught and twisted to look into the forest behind their retreating backs. It only looked like trees, until there was movement from one branch to another. His eyes narrowed on the movement and he loosed his arrow and exhaled as the snap of it resounded in the chilled air. There was a moment of stillness as the snow parted and hovered above the path of his arrow.

Just as quick as it had been released the arrow struck its target and there was a shout followed by a dull thump to the ground. His horse jolted along the path as his arms flailed sideways when his balance was horribly shaken by the jarring movements.

"Ugh, shit shit!" He grabbed the reins and scanned ahead of their path but Stripe and his rider were no where to be seen. As it was probably supposed to be, Tweek reminded himself. The way Craig fought was different than the way he did but he knew that he must be watching from somewhere and that when the time came he would have his back. Hopefully. For now though, he needed to rely on himself.

Tweek yanked his horse to the left in an effort to lose the pursuing elves. Feldspar must have wanted to disappear or he would be right next to him, he just hoped that whatever plan his companion had cooked up would work quicker.

Ahead there was a low hanging branch and thinking fast Tweek grabbed his bow and held it tightly in one hand. He jumped at the right time and grabbed ahold of the sturdy branch. It was with brute strength that he swung himself atop the branch and twisted on his footing while notching and drawing an arrow. He had an elf in his sights and immediately let an arrow fly directly into it's collarbone area. There was a thud as the elf fell to the forest floor, having missed his next step.

There was no time to look for their last assailant before an arrow whizzed by his head as he turned his gaze to the right. Tweek immediately dropped from the branch to the forest floor and started at a sprint. He was as good as dead exposed like this.

As he sprinted and rounded an outcropping of stone a large black horse leaped directly over him. Naturally he ducked and watched the arch of the jump from below. Briefly he saw Feldspar draw two blades from beneath his cape as he crashed directly into the elf's path.

A single blink later and it was over, The elf pursuing him was dead at Craig's feet and the silence of snow settled around them as suddenly as it had been disrupted.

"The other two?" Feldspar turned to him and Tweek pointed the way he had come from.

"Downed one, The other was pierced through the shoulder area. Might be alive still." He slid his bow over his shoulder once again and stepped over fallen twigs and branches back the way they came. The snow had really started to settle upon the ground and Tweek hoped it would settle fast enough to hide their tracks from any other pursuers. He came across the elf trying to crawl his way to a tree with his seriously injured shoulder. With a strong grip he grabbed the elf by his tunic collar and hauled him to his feet against the tree trunk. He grabbed onto the arrow logged just above the elf's collarbone and wiggled it slightly to induce just a little bit of pain.

"H-How far away is your base camp?" Tweek was not very good at interrogation tactics and the elf just growled and hissed at him in response. It only took one look over his shoulder for the assassin behind him to trudge over with a sigh. He had both horses in tow and tossed the reigns to Tweek. The blonde dropped the elf to the ground unceremoniously and thankfully took the task of tending to their horses and led them away from the interrogation sight.

A pained scream resonated from behind him and Tweek flinched at the image his brain supplied without his consent.

"They attacked first." He murmured to his horse as it pawed at the white, leaf strewn earth. Soon all of the leaves would either freeze with the snow or rot with the water. They would decay and become one with the earth once more. Food for the young earth worms and home to any hibernating creatures hiding from winters cold grasp. He was lost in his thoughts about nature as he stared at the leave rustling with the adjustment of the snow.

"Here's your arrow."

Tweek visibly jumped and turned on his heel to find his feathered arrow thrust in his face to the point of crossing his eyes, extended from the gloved palm of Craig's hand.

"Ngh, r-right. Thanks." It was bloody at the tip and he wiped it against a snowy bush to try and clean it. It somewhat worked. Who was he trying to fool, all of his arrows were blood stained, what as even the point? He slid it into his quiver and his gaze flicked upwards in anticipation of anything else Feldspar was waiting to inform him of.

"They're just south of us. Apparently the siege on the castle is already in motion."

"N-Ngh shit! That means they're unprotected in the castle!" The king would have their heads as soon as they arrive if they get there late. Unless of course he gets killed before they get there. Oh gods.

"Not entirely. The princess is in the castle as are most of the royal guards. They should be able to protect themselves for at least a little bit." Tweek swallowed his rising panic and nodded. "Regardless though we should make haste." The forest had grown increasingly dark in the time they had been conversing and had it not been for the reflective nature of fresh snow they might have been left in the pitch blackness of night. In a matter of moments they were deep into the woods once again. Their path altered to hopefully avoid the elvish camps just south of them, it was too risky to try to stop them just the two of them.

No they needed to get to the castle and they needed to get there before dawn.


	6. The First Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so I took a break from writing this both intentionally and unintentionally. I didn't mean for it to be this long but the good news is that I've really expanded my knowledge of Dungeons and Dragons and even got myself to the point of being Dungeon Master.  
> Why is this important you ask?  
> Welp because now I'm much better at describing and coming up with cool magical abilities and attacks for each class that the boys and girls have! :D  
> Anyhow I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Butters raced through the trees, branches whipping at his cloak as he kicked up dirt and snow alike. They had been ambushed right outside the castle walls by Drow elves. Both he and commander Token had been separated by the siege and he prayed that they would both make it to the castle safely. His horse’s hooves thundered along one of the more hidden bridges into the castle. They were under attack but nobody had sounded the alarm yet, practically the entire castle was surrounded!

He heard shouts in the forest behind him, no doubt searching for him or the commander. He was across the bridge swiftly, the gate bearers looking alarmed at his hasty approach. Gods but they were daft sometimes. 

"Sound the alarm! F-for God’s sake sound the alarm as fast as you can!" He slapped his reigns and bolted past them with his shouted warning. As much as it was his duty to protect everyone he could, there was nothing he could do for those men except alert them to the dangers encroaching upon their castle and kingdom. 

The impact his steed had on the cobblestone rang out with a solid clattering as he turned a corner around a darkened corner of the castle grounds and headed straight for the doors that would lead him to the main hallway. 

"Sound the a-alarm!" He could only shout it so many times and already his voice felt strained with the effort. Soldiers that recognized his haste rushed to sound the bells and as he approached the main archway through which the main doors were located the clanging of the alarm bells could be heard traveling from one partition of the castles walls to another. 

At a breakneck speed he nearly slid to a halt with Majorine and wasted no time in slipping off his lovely steed and rushing through the doors. Knights faltered at his approach and he shooed them away with quick directions. 

"T-take up arms! We are under attack!" His heavy boots slicked the tiles with each step as the snow dusted upon them started to melt and puddle. Everyone was in motion when he reached the throne room and bowed hastily at the waist. 

"My Lord we are under attack, surrounded by the Drow elves outside the partition and it is certain they will strike shortly." The room was dead silent at his loud proclamation and the Wizard King himself and Princess Kenny looked up from the large wooden table that was strewn with maps and papers and of course remnants of the kings most recent snack. They had clearly been scouring the maps relentlessly to pinpoint a location of attack but it was too late. Princess Kenny stood tall and stepped away from the table to gesture him forward with a graceful hand. 

"Come forward Paladin Butters." Their tone was serious and he obeyed and approached the table with caution. As usual the princess was a gorgeous sight with her blonde curls and dazzling crystal blue eyes. Butters focused on the pressing matters at hand though.

"My Paladin share with us what you know of the attack." Princess Kenny calmly folded her hands as she waited for his report. 

"Hurry up we don't have all damn day." The wizard king barked at him and Butters clenched his fists to keep from knocking his knuckles together in nervousness. He pointed to the map and gestured to the forest he had just come through.

"Their forces are spread through here. They plan to attack the main rampart from what i saw of their forces and it is true. They want the Stick of Truth." he stepped away from the map as King Cartman quickly circled the area in the forest and then turned to bark orders to the two guards to his right. 

"Clyde, Kevin. Go to the chamber and guard the Stick of Truth with your lives. I swear if it is even touched by a filthy elf i will turn you inside out!" Both guards ran off like their lives depended upon it towards the chamber. If Butter's knew anything about the Wizard King then their lives DID depend upon it.

"Imbeciles I swear. Kinny!" There was a flash of something over the princess’s visage but it was gone in a second as she turned to address the king.

"Yes my King?"

"Prepare our archers. We need to provide cover fire from the ramparts. I leave it to you and just get everyone ready for the attack! Jesus do I have to do everything myself! Let's go before they get the Relic." He swiveled on Butters who had been watching the princess depart and start directing men to different parts of the castle as she left the throne room to no doubt actually get their defenses ready. 

"Where is commander Token?" Butters squeezed the hilt of his hammer.

"I-I uh we were separated on our ride back. H-He is near the castle and I-I'm uh sure unharmed my King but I know not exactly where." He was no doubt going to be scolded for this later but King Cartman just sighed and rubbed his forehead before he waved his hand in dismissal. 

"Then go find him Butters. God I swear." Butters knocked his knuckles together immediately and nodded curtly. 

"Y-Yes sir!" His departure from the throne room felt a lot more like fleeing than just leaving but his alarm had been sounded and now it was time for battle. For battle they needed their commander. He quickly left to return to his horse and ride back out to fine Commander Token and hoped that he would be alright and more that their Kingdom would be alright. 

______________________________________________________________________________

Princess Kenny walked briskly to the ramparts of the castle, bow in hand and quiver on his back there was no way he was letting any elves into his kingdom. Yes his kingdom, Not that wizard Kings'. King Cartman may have control of the kingdom for the moment but by birth it was his kingdom and one day he would take it back. True he had needed the wizard kings help when his family had abandoned him and the kingdom. When everything had fallen apart and there was nothing but fighting it would have been impossible for just a princess to rule, especially when he hadn't been nearly as powerful back then as he was now. 

It was no matter though, he would bide his time as princess and assume the throne when he saw his opportunity. Everyone hated King Cartman so it was only a matter of time before someone felt the need to rise up against him and when he was weak, Kenny would take back the throne and rule as he had been taught at a young age. 

Regardless there would be no kingdom to return to him if the stupid Drow elves tried to destroy it first. He walked briskly towards where the archers were lined up and brushed one of his long braids over his shoulder. 

"Take up your bows men!" The order was barked in the higher register of a voice he had become accustomed to. He drew his own arrow from his quiver and notched it gracefully. The men were startled by his presence at first but quickly recovered and drew their arrows and notched them as well. In the distance flames of camps could be seen now that the light had faded behind the mountains. They could see the encroaching elvish groups and Kenny picked the best angle to target the most of them. Firing arrows at Elves surely meant that they would in turn be fired at with arrows. Anything to thin their numbers and do their part was important though. 

"Fire into the main camp on my mark!" He drew back his arrow, the heart shaped tip gleaming deadly in the black steel it had been cast in. It looked pretty but it was meant to pierce the hearts of many men when fired. That was precisely what he was going to do as well. 

"Aim!" Bows on either side were drawn taught and aimed at the main forces. The command was given at the same moment that his own arrow left his bow, powerful and aimed directly for the head of an elf that was leading the attack. 

"FIRE!" Arrows were launched and rained down onto the attack forces below. A few of them went down and others sustained injuries. Just as he had predicted though, it wasn't a few moments before a rain of arrows was sent back their way.

"Draw again!" He barked the order and walked down the ramparts continuing to give orders. Yes it was dangerous to be there but he was most valuable right where he was. The stick of truth was not to fall into the hands of the elves. He loosed another arrow directly into the heart of another elf and dodged one that stuck into a wooden plank right behind his head. 

This would be a brutal fight but Kenny felt comforted by the fact that their three strongest were on their way. This was a fortified castle and storming it was no easy task and he intended to continue to make it difficult. 

______________________________________________________________________________

A rear door into the castle was broken open and the guards on either side quickly slaughtered by a sword stronger and sharper than most. A small team of elves dashed through the doorway, led by the bravest traitor to humankind that had ever lived. 

Stan felt a tingling as the healing elf in their group cast a quick spell over them to increase their stealth and speed. They had one goal, get in, get the stick and retreat to make the King think he had fended off his boarders proper. Stan had intelligence on where they kept the stick during sieges, in the basement chamber guarded heavily. 

They made quick work of the doors and slipped into the fortified castle itself. Most were out to the western side of the castle where the bulk of their forces were concentrated to draw their fire. That would hopefully leave very few stragglers in these parts of the castle. 

The hallways were wide and open and they moved as quickly as possible in the shadows. A staircase in the distance that he could see clearly led down into the belly of the castle and Stan silently pointed at it and indicated that it was their objective in complete silence to the elves around him. 

A door was thrown open down the hallway and for moment they all froze before sliding deep into the shadows down a hallway off to the side. Stan held his breath and set his hand on the hilt of his sword, just in case it came to a fight. 

The steps that came down the hallway were heavy and clearly belonged to someone formidable. Boots came into view down the hallway as a broad shouldered man in long teal robes strode past purposefully. He knew who that was, had seen him before in fights. The Paladin Butters. 

While his name was silly, Stan felt his grip tighten around his sword as he eyed the heavy hammer at the male’s belt. He knew the man to have a nice disposition but he was a formidable opponent that even one on four could seriously injure over half their party. If he turned around and called upon the lightning powers of his hammer they could be in serious danger. 

Collectively they held their breath but the Paladin was clearly on a mission and was down the hallway in moments. 

"Paladin Butters!!" A soldier rushed in down the hallway and grabbed the man’s attention. 

"Yes what is it? A problem?"

"The west gates are about to buckle and we have wounded men from arrows!" Stan watched as they conversed and waved his fingers for the first two elves to make a quick dash and roll to the staircase that was their goal. They made it safely and he exhaled silently. 

Glancing back around the corner he saw the large and fearsome member of the Kings inner circle look towards the direction that had clearly been his original goal and instead go with the soldier. He already had his large tome out and was quickly scanning down the pages, no doubt starting the process of a long healing spell. 

Good. Now they could go as well. Stan signaled his healer elf and they both sprinted quickly to the staircase and reached it in one piece. 

It was lit with dim torches heading down and they descended as a group quickly. An unlucky guard they met coming up the stairs was pinned quickly against the wall and knocked out with the butt of his sword. The man fell unceremoniously to the ground and Stan left him there. 

"Leave him, we must finish this quickly. The less lives we lose the better." He received nods of agreement and they continued. 

The staircase led to another hallway with several doors leading off the sides. However the faint sounds of armor and brighter torches in the distance led him to believe that the room they were most likely looking for was at the end. He drew his sword as quietly as possible and signaled for the rest to stay quiet. Quick steps took him down the hallway and he was met with the sight of two armored guards, swords not drawn. In fact they looked really bored until they noticed his approach. 

With a shout he leaped into the air and brought his sword down onto one of the guard shoulder. It easily dented his armor plating and dug into some skin. He landed on his feet and brought the man to him with his sword in his shoulder before kicking him backwards into the wall. 

"Ahh fuck!!" The guard yelled and tumbled over in pain against the wall. The second guard had drawn his sword but his grip was shaky, clearly taken off guard by the surprise attack. 

"W-who are you and what do you want??" The voice was nasally and unsure and for a moment Stan thought he knew who it was but brushed that aside. 

"Someone really glad that your king is stupid enough to leave only two people guarding his sacred treasures!" He whistled loudly and two arrows shot down the hallway and his felt his strength surge with a supporting spell. The arrows were batted away by the guard’s shields but it was too late because he had already thrown his denser and smaller shield at the man. It was meant to be thrown and could do quite a bit of damage and his aim was true so it struck the human directly in the face, knocking his helmet clean off and knocking him on his ass. 

Stan kicked the guard in the chest and made sure he was down for good before he signaled his team forward to work on the door. A young boy, probably in his early twenties with brown hair was under the helmet and he did recognize him. Watery eyes and a blood covered face from a broken nose looked up at him in anger and surprise.

"Y-you’re human! Why are you helping THEM! They're greedy elves!" The man snarled the words at him. 

"I’m sorry Clyde but I know which side is the correct side and its not with that filthy king of yours." Stan left him incapacitated on the floor and walked up to the door. It had been opened and inside sat the relic itself. On a respectable cushion and glowing with its power. Stan grabbed the cloth bag on his shoulder and quickly wrapped the relic up in it and stowed it on his person. 

"Alright. Let’s go signal the retreat." 

He left Clyde cursing on the floor with almost no regrets as they escaped from the towering castle. 

_____________________________________________________________________________

Craig cursed as the castle loomed in their view and arrows were scattered across the ground, from both parties. He recognized a few that belonged to the princess as she must have led the archery attack. He and Tweek had managed to slip around the elvish camps to flank to the western edge of the castle. It seemed that some of the outer doors had already been busted through and there was fighting heard within the castle grounds. 

Unfortunately as soon as they had gotten close enough Tweek had sprinted off on his horse and Craig had lost sight of him. His gut clenched painfully but he pointedly ignored it, he'd decided long ago that emotions were futile and he was going to stick to that. Especially in a crisis. 

Silently he stepped into the shadows of the castle wall and slipped like smooth silk around the inner perimeter. He observed the fights breaking out between Soldiers of Kupa Keep and Drow elves from the forest. In the distance, closer to the castle a lightning spell erupted across the sky and he saw several elves go flying. Craig smirked slightly, someone must have upset the Paladin it seemed. It arced across the sky and struck the ground below, a few hundred feet from where he had been crouching. Stealthy he rolled to the left, and chose his target. An elf that had been temporarily blinded by the proximity of the lightning and was rubbing his eyes. 

Quickly Craig dashed from the shadows and threw one of his daggers. It landed squarely in the elves back and he followed suit by jumping and pinning the smaller elf to the ground and plunging his second dagger into its neck. 

As soon as he'd come he was going in a silent whisper and on to the next target. It appeared the elves continued to fall left and right without much cause as he jumped through their ranks silently, assassinating those who were caught unaware. It wasn't until he came across a larger elf with a battle ax that was swung down directly in his path. Feldspar had to jump backwards and skid to a stop in front of the honestly hulking elf. 

"Not so fast little human!" The ax was lifted out of the ground and swung up to the elves shoulder in a menacing pose. Too bad Craig was basically emotionally immune to intimidation. After all he was a walking nightmare to most people, what was a berserker when he was what people screamed about in the horror of a bad dream.

"Not so slow yourself." He reached into one of the bags that hung across his chest and quickly slipped on the Ring of Shadows. As the illusion magic of the ring took effect a billowing dark smoke started to seep outwards from his form. Each movement he made was clouded with the thick fog-like substance as it trailed a few seconds behind his limbs and body. He dashed to the side rapidly, a smoky dark figure left behind in his place for just a moment. With the distraction in place he dodged around the mammoth sized elf and stood back to back with him. As confusion set in he drew both daggers and stabbed them upwards, into the base of the poor elves skull. With a prod from his elbow the large form fell flat onto his face and Craig stalked forward towards the castle with a glower on his face. 

This was truly annoying. He was working on almost no sleep and he was hungry as hell. Not to mention he hadn't exactly wanted to return to the kingdom in the first place. He make work for the King but he didn't exactly like the King. In fact he loathed him almost as much as Tweek did. 

His silent brooding was interrupted by horse hooves as a white steed dashing front of him on the battlefield and came to a halt with a loud call from atop it. Holding the reigns like the leader he was, Token reached down a strong hand in offering to Feldspar. 

"Feldspar! Climb aboard I'm headed through towards the main entrance!" Craig grinned at the sight of his old friend and firmly grasped his hand and swung up onto the back of the horse.

"Token! How are you my friend?!" He yelled over the concussive noise of battle and drew his daggers. He activated the magical enchantment of the blades and threw one in an arc into the chest of an unsuspecting elf. The weapon turned to smoke as the elvish archer collapsed and it reappear back in his hand. 

"Oh you know! Was enjoying my time with the family, until this little fiasco happened." He shrugged and knocked a group apart with his horse. They were forced to leap from the stallions back as arrows started flying their way. Token shuffled to his feet and drew his broadsword to deflect and incoming attack. Craig's gasped as his shoulder was grazed with an arrow, tearing through the dark clothes of his robes. He grimaced but soon the pain faded entirely as Token muttered a quick healing spell. 

Craig took that opportunity to defend his friend’s life with his daggers and take down an elf headed for him. There were so many and he had seen the forest camps, there were still more waiting for the opportunity to strike. Just as the odds seemed near impossible, a long drawn out horn was blown in the distance. It echoed through the trees and caused the masses fighting to pause. 

"They're signaling a retreat!" Tweek's voice shouted from behind them as he leaped from a wall and shot an arrow at the elves with skill and grace not particularly suited to his larger form. He landed crouched in front of the two soldiers and Craig found his eyes wandering over those tight leather pants before he stopped himself and released the spell on his ring. The shadows melted off of him and he sheathed he daggers as all of the invaders returned deep into the forest. 

Looking around, the damage had been minimal at best and it was clear that their attack was unsuccessful. Token was already dashing from person to person perform both small and large healing spells. He would no doubt be exhausted after all of that effort, but from the looks of it Paladin Butters nearer to the castle had already start perform healing spells and offering first aid. Craig turned to Tweek who had stood up and was pursing his lips. 

"This doesn't seem right." Craig furrowed his brow and shrugged.

"They realized our defenses were too strong and decided to retreat." He kicked a small stone knocked lose in the scuffle and watched as Tweek slowly lowered his bow. The blonde paused before turning to face him, his expression on of trepidation.

"With an army that large? That didn't even reach the castle doors...It's not right." His left hand came up to his mouth where his teeth viciously assumed their normal assault on his already stubbing fingernails.

"Nothing we can do except go consult the King. Come on." Craig turned, his cloak making a full rotation with his body as he lead the way up the large set of stone steps that brought them to the large wooden door to the entryway of the castle. They passed Butters as he knelt over a soldier that had a particularly bad arrow wound and heard him distinctly tell the man to "Stop b-being a baby" Before there was a loud snap and a shriek of pain. 

Tweek winced slightly at that but Craig remained unflinching, he was used to the sounds of torture, whether intentional or not. It did indeed seem like that fighting had been kept entirely out of the castle. That was until they came across a hunched over Princess Kenny who appeared to be kneeling in front of a knight who was slumped against the wall. At closer inspection the knight was Clyde who was sporting a VERY swollen and very purple nose. His already nasally voice was practically unbearable as he spoke to the princess in hushed tones.

"Are you sure Clyde?" There was a stiffened nod and Craig stepped forward.

"What happened to you? Look in a mirror too suddenly and gave yourself an injury?" Despite his words he was actually concerned somewhat for the man he considered a long term friend. It looked like he'd at least taken a beating or two. 

"I'm afraid it's very serious." Princess Kenny interrupted Clyde from retorting and pinned both Barbarian and Thief alike with a piercing gaze. "The Stick of Truth has been stolen."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I've gotten this question before I'll answer it here to clear up any confusion. Kenny identifies as Gender fluid but prefers male pronouns. Hence why in this story i used male pronouns, to everyone else he's just known as the princess but he is female presenting and gender queer. So hopefully that clears any questions about that up!  
> Feel free to comment and leave Kudos. Thank you all for reading <3 I'll try to keep updates coming for this story :)


	7. Banishment and Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy the newest chapter of Kingdoms apart! I hope you like reading it as much as I like writing it. Feel free to comment and offer critique as i am still learning and can always use the extra help with my writing. Things are finally heating up, it's going to be much more exciting from here on out now that all the character introduction and set up is mostly done with! :D

The situation was dire. Like Dire wolves, which are just regular wolves but dire. Maybe it was even worse than that. Of all the things to happen, to think that those sneaky elven pieces of shit would manage to take the relic from right under their noses. Tweek was upset, probably visibly so and it sure as hell didn't help that they were all gathered in the throne room to be witness to the Wizard Kings fit of rage. King Cartman may have been a jerk but he was a powerful jerk and he was livid.

"CLYDE! I swear to god you useless pussy! YOU HAD ONE MOTHERFUCKING JOB!"

Tweek Stiffened where he stood and looked on at the scene unfolding with unease, much like the rest of the higher ranked soldiers and officers that lined the edges of the room were doing. 

Clyde alone, was huddled before the throne where he had been shoved forcefully to his knees by the king himself. 

"I don't even know what to say I am so angry." Cartman heaved a great sigh and ceased pacing to pinch the bridge of his nose, visibly frustrated.

Next to him, Tweek felt Craig tense up next to him and looked down to his fists clenched in anger. Tweek gently reached out a hand and grabbed the back of his cloak. Feldspar wasn't one for lashing out in anger or being overly emotional, but Craig had been in the past. He had known Clyde, Token and Tweek before his assassin persona had ever been created. Feldspar was good at being cold and calculating, but Craig was prone to anger; especially when the King was involved.

Craig felt the tug on his cloak and glanced over his shoulder. The emotions Tweek saw flit across his face were torrential and he silently shook his head. Seemingly getting the hint, Craig's shoulders slumped slightly and Tweek let go of the coarse black fabric he's been gripping. 

Their attention was brought back to the center of the room when King Cartman grabbed his staff from next to the throne and pointed it directly at Clyde’s head, his gaze was that of pure hatred.

"Clyde, because you are useless do this kingdom and couldn't even do the one thing I asked you to I have decided your punishment. You are hereby..." The room went silent as the King purposefully paused for dramatic effect. It effectively made Tweek feel like vomiting and he could feel his hands start to tremble with the pent-up anxiety. King Cartman suddenly shouted his decree loud and clear and Tweek just about fell over backwards in surprise.

"-BANISHED FROM SPACE AND TIME FOREVER!" The shout echoed into deafening silence.

Clyde's head snapped upwards and he stared at the king in horror as conversation erupted across the courtroom.

"Y-You can't do that!"  
"Oh? I can't? I thought I was the King Clyde and the King does what he wants and right now he wants to banish your worthless being into oblivion!" The Wizard King waved his wand menacingly and started a complex incantation. The floor pooled with dark energy and chains dripping with dark liquid shot out from the void in the floor and wrapped around Clyde's arms and legs. Although he struggled valiantly it was useless.

"No! You can't do this! I'm sorry no please! My King Please!!!" His voice was hoarse with pain and fear as he was pulled down through the floor.

"Shut up Clyde, nobody even likes you!" Cartman rolled his eyes.  
"Fuck you! You stupid, greedy fuck! You don't deserve to be King!" The chains pulled backwards dragging him unwillingly into the void-like pit. Tweek was definitely feeling the bile at the back of his throat now at the sickening sight before them. He was not able to dwell on his nausea for long.

Craig jumped forward towards Clyde, towards his rapidly disappearing friend. Tweek Panicked. Without much though he lunged after him and latched onto his arm with a firm grip. He pulled back and looped an arm around his chest to hold him back with his strength.

"Let me go Tweek!" He pinched his eyes closed at Craig's rough words, hearing how strained his vocal cords were with anger.

"No! You can't help him!" He tugged him back by a step and held him firmly as Craig struggled. He saw him reached for his blades at his hip for a moment but Tweek watched him hesitate and took that as a good sign. "If you do anything the King will just banish you too! Is that what you want?" He knew his voice sounded desperate, but luckily, they weren't the only ones in uproar or they would have been drawing a lot of attention. Tweek was furious too, he was fighting back tears and his desperate need to vomit as he struggled against the assassin.

He wanted to run forward and drag Clyde back through the portal too, but it was too late and it wouldn't help at this stage. He'd seen this too many times and King Cartman had been using the relic to strengthen himself for years. At least at that moment it was futile, and Tweek wasn't about to lose Craig too. 

"I'm going to punch his fucking teeth in!" Craig snarled the words but he had stopped fighting and it was clear that he knew it was too late. The void had already closed and Clyde was gone, just like those before him the King had banished. They were both left to stare at the polished floor of the throne room where their old friends had been moments before. 

"Useless Bastard. Well at least he's gone." The Wizard King broke the silence and completely ignored the shocked stares he was receiving from most the room as he slumped into his chair. "Everyone out of my sight. Prepare to chase the elves into the forest in the morning." He waved his hand dismissively.

"But s-sir, there are many who need r-rest-"

"I don't fucking care Butters! Aren't you a healer? Just heal them and go get them back to work. I need my fucking Relic back now!" Paladin Butter's turned a deep shade of red and motioned curtly for everyone to leave the throne room. 

"You heard the King. Everyone prepare to move out!" 

Tweek was frozen in place until he felt Craig wrench himself out of his now slack hold and storm out to a side door of the throne room that led to the upper ramparts. The door slammed loudly behind him.

"A-AH Cra- I mean Feldspar!" He turned to pursue him but was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder blocking his path.

"Let him calm down first Tweek." Token gazed at Tweek seriously and Tweek swallowed his own anger when he recognized that deep rooted sadness in Token's eyes. He had also been close with Clyde and Tweek felt guilty for thinking selfishly in that moment. That he had been thinking of Craig and not of Token, or anyone else in the room. 

"Y-Yeah, you're right." Token nodded and hurried off as the room emptied itself quickly. Tweek hurried out himself, past nobles and guards alike until he burst through the entrance doors and inhaled the fresh courtyard air deeply. There were pieces of debris and elven arrows littering the ground.

His brain was in absolute chaos as he thought about the situation the Kingdom was in. Without the relic and its positive influence who knew what disasters would strike soon? Diseases, famine, tornadoes maybe even earthquakes! This could be the end of everything for them.

Successfully having worked himself into a panic, Tweek counted his steps across the courtyard. Every four steps he would inhale deeply and would exhale it after another even four steps. The even numbers and deep breaths helped calm his panicked mind slowly. Gods, but poor Clyde.

He had messed up for sure, but to be sentenced to such a cruel fate was worse than executing him. To even use a spell like that was cruel and unnecessary and it boiled his blood.

Anger mixed quickly with unease in his stomach and before he could stop it this time nausea overflowed and Tweek found himself vomiting into a patch of badly trampled bushes near the outer wall of the courtyard.

The taste of bile made his skin crawl as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. If only he'd been born as a tree, he wouldn't have to deal with all these complicated and honestly overwhelming feelings and situations.

Tweek threw his bow down to the grass away from the bushes and sat down next to it. He would give himself and Craig some time to clear their heads and then maybe they could come up with a plan. He paused as he reached for a dandelion in the grass and wondered when he'd started to group them together in his head as a team. There was no guarantee that Craig was going to stick near him for this fight...that was silly. 

"Huh..." He pursed his lips and pushed the thoughts aside. When indeed.

____________________________________________________________________________________-

Craig saw nothing but red as Clyde was forcibly pulled into the void. If Tweek hadn't grabbed his arm and held him back, he might have very well committed treason. Clyde had been his very first friend, they had practically grown up together. Sure, everything was different now but that meant nothing when Clyde's life had been put on the line. His desire to protect him had burned straight through his mask that he wore as Feldspar.

The rampart he walked was desolately empty, for which he was very grateful. It was littered with arrows and signs of the previous battle they had endured.

Craig walked along the high walkway until he felt his anger finally give way to exhaustion and sadness. He stopped to lean his forearms on the wall and cradled his head in his hands for a brief moment. He had been doubting the Wizard King for many months now, but the nail of disdain had truly been hammered into the coffin today. Cartman was greedy, power hungry and Craig was tired of pretending to be his lapdog. The pay had been worth it, up until this point. How could he look his little sister in the face, knowing that he was working for a man that banished loyal soldiers for mistakes they had very little control over. 

He sighed heavily and leaned his head backwards with eyes closed. The King his loathed, but the Kingdom was beautiful and he quiet liked it. The people were finally prospering again from the last war, rebuilding and returning to their lives and families. Cartman might have been greedy but he had also created something wonderful, worth protecting. 

Craig opened his eyes and leaned forward over the wall of the rampart again. The courtyard was laid out in front of his sharp eyes, as were the distant forests, fields and nearby towns and smaller villages. Everything that extended beyond the walls of Kupa Keep was basked in darkness and moonlight.

In the grass courtyard below sat a Barbarian with particularly unruly blonde hair. He was picking and weaving together dandelions into chains of flowers. Craig felt warmth in his chest at the sight and promptly buried his face in his hands again. The memories of burning buildings and Tweek desperately charging into the flames shouting followed closely on the heels of that warm feeling. Guilt was the emotion he felt the most around Tweek Tweak and it was the reason he had distanced himself in the first place. He had tried to be there for his friends in the past and the results had been less than good. 

Not just Tweek, but Token and Clyde as well. He'd taken the position of royal assassin and ceased all contact with them for more than five years. If this, if Clyde's banishment was the result of his actions, either directly or indirectly, then he had clearly made the wrong choice somewhere.

He was angry with the King, but he was also angry at the elves. Whomever infiltrated the castle, they would surly pay for attacking Clyde and stealing the relic. Craig steeled his resolve to fight, for the sake of Clyde's sacrifice, but this time he would there for his friends and it would be on his terms. Not the King's.

"I thought I might find you here."

Craig tore his gaze from Tweek to watch the steady approach of the Princess towards him. He stood up straighter and bowed his head, almost embarrassed at being caught so unawares. She waved him off with a casual gesture.

"Oh, please Feldspar, we are alone no need to bow." Craig rolled his eyes and turned his attention back towards the courtyard and Tweek sitting on the lawn. 

"I'm sorry. He was a friend of yours, wasn't he?" Craig clenched a fist at the reminder of what had transpired and had to close his eyes to fight off the wave of emotions. 

"Yes, he was."

"I wish that I could bring him back, or do anything."

"No, you can't. No one can. I don't even think Wizard King Fuckface can." He bit his tongue, realizing quickly that he might have gone too far just then. Kenny just laughed loudly.

"You're right. I almost wish that he'd accidentally sent himself." Kenny smirked ay him and Craig chuckled at the thought.

"Thoughts like that are treason your highness." He raised an eyebrow at her and she smiled gracefully. 

"Are they? Oh my, how awful and devious of me." Despite her words, she didn't sound the least bit apologetic and Craig felt similarly.

"Don't worry your highness, I won't tell a soul." His lips quirked upwards and the Princess looked over the courtyard with a fond smile of her own.

"Good, because if you did Feldspar I would have to tell Sir Tweek that you were staring at him lewdly from the ramparts." Her expression went from peaceful to downright smug and Craig desperately fought the burning her felt in his cheeks and ears. This god damned nosy and observant princess.

"It was not lewd in any way, thank you very much." He couldn't deny that he HAD been staring, but it had certainly not been perverted. Not yet at least.

"Ah I see. Perhaps lewd is not the right word. How about affectionately?" Gods please help him to not punch the princess in her smug pretty face. That made two times today that he had considered committing an act of treason. Craig turned from the courtyard and started to walk away. "I don't have time for this." He muttered under his breath as an excuse to depart quickly. His face burned at how embarrassingly translucent he had been relaxing up there. Anyone could have seen him, it was beyond careless, bordering on foolish. The Princess had even fucking seen him standing there like a lovesick teenager. Gods be damned.

"I am only joking Feldspar. Besides I have special orders for you, that is my true reason for seeking you out. Although tormenting you a little did make me feel better." Craig paused and turned to face her highness, choosing deliberately to ignore the last sentence.

"Orders? I thought that I was his Majesties the high Wizard Kings personal assassin." He snarled the King's title, unable to keep the disdain from his voice any longer. The princess just smiled completely unperturbed.

"You are, but this is a mission from myself only to you. A very important and top secret mission."

"Alright I'll accept. Under the condition that you don't say anything about earlier to Tweek." He pursed his lips and crossed his arms looking much like a petulant child who is reluctant to admit defeat.

"Excellent, I can agree to those terms. Very well then Feldspar under no circumstances does any word of this conversation leave the very spot we are standing upon." He nodded seriously. "In one months’ time I will be of age to assume my rightful place upon the throne of this Kingdom. That is if his Majesty the King honors our agreement that was made twelve years ago, upon the death of my father. However, should he fail to honor that agreement, I would like you to take his life for me." Craig stiffened and stared into the unusually cold and serious eyes of Princess Kenny.

"Your Highness that really is-"

"Treason? Yes, I'm afraid it is. But do try to remember Feldspar that it is also treason to deny the true ruler of this country a place upon the throne. I have been preparing for this day since I was little and in one months’ time I will be prepared to make sacrifices for the good of Kupa Keep. I have come to you because I trust your judgment and your loyalty to the people of this country. You too realize what is best."

Craig swallowed thickly and wondered why today of all days seemed to be more of a pain than the others. The Princess approached him as he mulled over her orders and she placed a gentle hand upon his shoulder.

"Should you succeed in this mission, I will grant you my full protection and will release you of your duty as the royal assassin."

Craig felt fully rooted to the spot as he faced the gravity of her request. The promise of freedom and the chance at revenge for Clyde; it was too tempting to turn down.

"You have my word your highness. It will be done." His tongue felt dry and rough inside of his mouth but his words had been very clear. She smiled politely and turned to head back across the rampart the way she had come. 

"Excellent. I'm counting on you Feldspar. In the meantime, I know that Paladin Butters is assigning jobs to squadrons in search of the relic. I hope you will be able to retrieve it safely." She left as gracefully as she had come and no one would ever have been the wiser to her plans, except for Craig.

Ugh he already had a headache and the sun was only just now beginning to rise in the east.

"Gods, it’s going to be a damn long day." He grumbled and rubbed his eyes before he turned and made his way towards the castle entrance. He spared a glance over his shoulder at where Tweek had been sitting but the barbarian was gone, replaced instead by the gentle ring of woven flowers he had left behind in the grass.


	8. In Too Deep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy cow this is a long chapter, almost 6k words!! Please enjoy it because we are finally getting into the good stuff >U>... meaning we're getting to the mutual pining tag and the SLOOOOOOWWW BUUURN. 
> 
> I hope that you enjoy reading this story and thank you so much to those of you that commented on the last chapter it really does make writing this worth it to know that I'm not the only one selfishly enjoying it :) Let me know if there are any glaring errors of spelling or grammar because I am my own editor and that is never a good thing for me. haha... cries.
> 
> ***Edited some glaringly bad errors of syntax and typos! Should flow a little bit better. I also added some pieces to the beginning because Tweek's perspective felt really stale. After re-reading this chapter i felt that it was kind of rushed but I guess I was trying to get through the preparation bits faster so that the good stuff can happen. The giggling Donkey is next so stay tuned for Chapter 9!!***

Tweek had made his way towards the entrance of the castle as the sun rose in shades of pale purple and pink. Paladin Stotch was organizing the soldiers near the front gates and it would have been an understatement to say that he looked stressed. Tweek felt stressed just observing him.

The tiredness that pinched at the corners of his eyes made him yawn. Like always, he stood taller than the general crowd with his unruly hair adding three extra inches and his long and lean arms and legs hanging awkwardly at his sides.

Butter's noticed his slow approach and Tweek felt his heart thud as he booked it towards him with determination in his eyes. Oh god he really didn't want to get involved in that whirlwind of stress.

"Tweek!" Butter's shouted his name and Tweek yelled in response and his hand twitched towards his quiver and bow on his shoulder.

"A-Ah yes sir?" Paladin Butters smoothed out his stressed expression forcibly and smiled. Tweek felt guilty for overreacting and being on edge.

"Sorry for startling you. I n-need a favor from you and Feldspar. It is urgent." Butters placed a gentle hand on Tweek's shoulder. "The troops are not prepared to move out yet, they require more time to supply and attend to the wounded. Will you, Token and Feldspar depart as a scouting party? If the King know that we are on the dreaded elves trail faster it will benefit everyone here." The high Paladin was clearly stressed and Tweek nodded aggressively. He felt pressure to say yes, but the prospect of taking Feldspar away from the King's direct influence was appealing. For purely unselfish reasons of course.

 

"We can do that Sir." Butter's visibly relaxed and patted Tweek's shoulder with his rough leather gloves.

"Thank you, I owe you all a debt for this important service."

"N-No that's too much pressure your holiness. Y-You just take care of things here for us o-okay?" Butter's nodded gratefully and left him with quick directions on where the elves had last been spotted heading. He left promptly afterwards to return to his main task at hand, which was unfortunately everything. Tweek watched in a mixture of awe and relief, glad that he was not in that position and that he was more of a hired muscle person than a member of the royal inner circle.

"What did he say?" Tweek jumped into the air and spun around like a frightened animal at the man who was suddenly standing behind him right near his shoulder.

"Holy Fuck!!! Gods you can't, just do that Craig!" He reached out on instinct and with ease shoved the assassin a few feet away from him. Craig smirked and barely caught himself from falling, an impressive display of strength. He adjusted his cloak before taking a step back towards the Barbarian.  
"Hey now, don't blow my cover." Tweek's cheeks turned cherry red at the reminder and an embarrassed screeching noise filled the inside of his head. Craig WOULD come out of nowhere like the sneaky thief he was and scare the living daylights out of him only to promptly chastise him for getting startled about it all. Tweek crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head deliberately away from the other man.

"S-Sorry. Not that anyone is even around anyway, you royal bastard." Feldspar rolled his eyes but Tweek was too busy fuming to notice.

"Regardless, what were you and his holiness discussing?" Tweek let the matter of his soaring pulse finally go and shifted his bow and quiver on his shoulder.

"H-He needs us to be the scouting party. Find out exactly where the elves are hiding the r-relic."

"Good, I would like to stay here as little as possible." Craig glanced towards the castle and Tweek felt a pang of sympathy for him. He reached out and placed a shaky hand upon his shoulder. Was now the right time? Did it even matter? If he didn't say something now it would just seem like he didn't care, right? Tweek made sure to lean in closer and lower his voice, just in case.

"C-Craig, I'm sorry about Clyde. I-" He paused and took a deep breath. "I didn't mean to stop you but I knew that if I didn't you w-would just get banished as well." A warm gloved hand came up to rest on top of his own and Tweek stopped speaking as he looked up from his shoes to meet Craig's cloudy grey-blue eyes.

"It's alright Tweek. I appreciate what you did now, even if I didn't at the time. Besides there is nothing to be done about the past now, only the future." He said it with more sincerity than Tweek had ever known him capable of. The barbarian melted under those words and that gaze. He was fucking hopeless.

"O-Okay." An awkwardness filled the air immediately after his response until Feldspar cleared his throat and purposefully stepped away to create some much-needed space between them. Tweek felt more of that familiar burning heat in his face but he dutifully ignored it. If he didn't he would surely combust right on the spot.

"W-we should uh, get horses. I'm going to get our horses you should find T-token. I got h-horses." he cleared his throat as well and quickly turned on his heel and fled towards the stables where the horses were being taken care of.

Tweek looked over his shoulder to see that Craig was gone from their meeting spot and he immediately deflated in posture and emotional confidence.

"H-Holy shit man, what even was that." Ugh, his chest was tight and Craig's expression was burned into his eye lids, he still saw it when he blinked. He hadn't known that Craig even HAD a soft side, much less that he could speak with such sincerity and not be blatantly lying. His whole freaking spine has shivered at the look he gave him; hence the fleeing to the horse. Ugh thinking about all of this on top of the brewing war was way too much pressure. Honestly it made him want to get into a fist fight, hopefully they would run into elves that he could take out his confusion on. His bad habits were surfacing all over, his nails were already bitten to almost nothing and now he wanted to get into a fight. Downward spiral here we come. 

The horses had been well tended to in their absence and while Stripe was as intimidating as ever he did cooperate as Tweek led them from the stables towards the large entrance gate of Kupa Keep. He pet them gently and made sure that their saddles were properly set for the journey. They would be traveling quite quickly which meant tight and aerodynamic gear. This also unfortunately meant no armor for them or the horses. which meant less protection from swords and arrows and sharp things that could kill them. It meant more death. 

Craig returned momentarily, just as Tweek was working himself into a panic, and waltzed up with two backpacks full to the brim with tools and supplies. He tossed one to Tweek who caught it effortlessly despite its heavier weight. Tweek scanned the lawn for the Commander and frowned when he was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Token?" Craig was strapping his own supplies to Stripes' saddle while the horse nudged the man's head and blew his hood off. The black hair underneath was short but messy and Stripe was sniffing at it curiously, to Craig's dismay, and it was not helping.

"He's been given charge of a group of soldiers setting out right after us. Just you and me scouting Tweeker's." Craig glanced at him but looked down immediately not maintaining eye contact.

"Uh...Okay that’s fine." He walked Token's horse over to a lower ranked soldier and gave him directions to hold the horse for Token since the commander would need it soon. The soldier looked confused but was too smart to say anything rude to a Barbarian. He returned to Craig having fixed his dark hood onto his head and he was perched comfortably on the back of Stripe. Tweek followed his lead and swung up onto his own horse, trying not to think about how confident and good Feldspar looked up on his horse. 

Tweek shook his head and tried to remove the overbearing thoughts forcefully as he mounted his own steed Coffee Bean. He turned his horse around towards the entrance to the Kingdom and adjusted his bow and quiver so they sat securely upon his back. A quick nod to Craig confirmed that he was ready to go.

"Alright, first stop is the Giggling Donkey. We can get more information on the elves there." Craig snapped his reigns and Tweek followed beside him out of the gates and into the large lands of Zaron. The Giggling Donkey was in the town of Knavenshire which was neutral territory,but it was known to be visited by elves and humans alike. Certainly, if they were recognized it might be problematic. Craig was good at going undetected but Tweek was incredibly tall, had obvious tattoos all over his body, and had shockingly blonde hair and green eyes. He was truly an anomaly. Keeping him hidden and unrecognized would not just be difficult, it would be nearly impossible.

They rode off towards the nearest town in relative silence. The first snowfall had already started to melt, but the grey sky threatened to dump more white powder at any second. Tweek prayed that it wouldn't because he didn't want to put a scratchy cloak over his skin. Most barbarians wore less clothing because it not only restricted their movements in hand to hand combat, but the texture of most clothing was overwhelming on their sensitive skin. Their heightened strength and senses has drawbacks too, and Tweek especially got overwhelmed by incredibly loud noises and overly textured fabrics. Even his leather combat pants were made from incredibly smooth and soft leather to prevent any annoyances. Snow and ice meant scratchy capes, so he would rather not deal with that.

Craig led them through the thick trees. They were headed towards Knavenshire but that distance was not coverable in one day and they would probably be forced to stop in a nearby town or village that night.

As the sun stretched into the afternoon they slowed near a creek and took a noon time rest to let the horses take a break and drink from the partially frozen source of water. Tweek took a moment to pet both Stripe and Coffee Bean as they drank heartily. Tweek looked over at Craig who was tracing something on the ground with his eyes intently.

"What is it? Ngh." He wandered over towards him and watched as Craig swept his hand over the ground and pointed out what looked like small disturbances in the snowfall. It looked as if something or someone had gone back and tried to erase things by sweeping the snow back and forth. Animals weren't smart enough to cover their tracks like that, which meant...

"Elves, not far from here based on how fresh this is." Craig stood up and looked in the distance towards the encroaching forest and the path that led through it. Tweek followed his gaze and slid his bow carefully off his shoulder.

"So, are we...?"

"Yes, we are." Craig cut him off with a curt nod and Tweek stepped forward only to be stopped by Craig's outstretched hand.

"Wait. I'll go first, find out exactly where they are and how many there are. Then we can attack." Tweek paused and nodded. He watched as Craig pulled a ring out from a pouch and put it on his right hand. He muttered some fancy words and disappeared in a haze of shadows almost immediately. He essentially melted into nothingness right in front of Tweek's eyes and for a moment Tweek was reminded of one of his worst night terrors. He shuddered at the thought and walked back towards the less lonely comfort of the horses.

The nightmare that swallowed all his friends and comrades in darkness one by one was by far his least favorite.

It was a few minutes before Craig startled his soul out of him by suddenly appearing out of nowhere, slipping the ring off his finger. Tweek stumbled backwards and clutched at his chest and had to lean against Stripe for some sort of support.

"They have a small camp. Five elves, one of which is a healer. If we sneak up on them then they have no chance of..." Craig paused and took in Tweek's state for a moment.

"Tweek are you okay?"

From his position with a hand over his heart he glared daggers at Craig's face.

"Just peachy! My heart didn't cease beating or anything. I'm not going to have a stroke or have heart failure from you popping out of nowhere so casually all the time! I'm perfectly fine." He growled out the words and Craig had the decency to look slightly ashamed this time.

"Sorry. I forgot you startle easily." Tweek sighed and straightened out his quiver and stood up from his slanted position against Stripe. He removed his bow and quiver and hooked them onto the saddle of his horse before walking to where Craig stood by the edge of the advancing path.

"It is fine. I'll get used to it again soon enough." That was a blatant lie. He had never gotten used to Craig's stealthy abilities and he probably never would get used to them. Craig looked unconvinced by his lie but Tweek could not have cared less. He shrugged it off and headed down the path ahead of Craig.

"Not taking your bow?" Craig questioned him with a note of interest in his voice.

"No." Tweek cracked his knuckles and shook out his arms and shoulders. "I'm feeling the need to let off some s-steam." Craig paused in his footsteps but composed himself quickly. Craig would have been lying if he said that the thought of Tweek getting into a fist fight didn't get him a little excited. Tweek clearly felt a little riled up, especially if he was willing to bring his fists directly into the fray. Everything that had happened in the last twenty four hours was making him twitchy and the easiest way to help his shaking hands was balling them into fists.

Craig led them to a gathering of trees and they crouched low behind the cover of some shrubbery. Around a small campfire they could see five elves taking a break for the early afternoon. They were relaxed and completely unaware of the danger they were in. Tweek nodded to Craig and with the slip of a ring the assassin dissolved into the shadows again.

It was almost too easy to slip into a familiar pattern of combat together. It felt like a well-practiced dance. Honestly, Tweek was just eager to throw a few punches and knock some heads together. Having Craig with him was an added bonus in his mind.

He waited a few moments to give Craig time to position himself before he stood and walked through the brush like he owned it. Tweek waltzed up to the unassuming group and crossed his arms over his bare chest. They noticed his presence immediately and tried to pounce for their weapons. Tweek had already bent down and grabbed one of their bows that had been resting against a rock as he approached. They were too slow.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" He held the bow out and examined it carefully as the elves froze in confusion and fear. his height was intimidating enough alone, it didn't help that he was flexing just a little bit and he was covered in intimidating tattoos. 

"Nice bow." He grabbed it firmly with both hands and with a sudden sharp jerk he sent his knee directly through it, snapping it clean in half. It broke like a twig in his grasp and the stunned silence erupted into shrill voices of outrage as the group unfroze.

The elves lunged for him or their weapons but Tweek whipped the broken bow around by the string and smacked the closest elf directly in the head with it. The rest of the group had to duck or move out of the way to avoid the attack. Elf number one went down, hands to his head in pain. Tweek squared up with the elf charging at him next with a dagger. He made quick work of deflecting the blade by grabbing the attacker’s wrist with his left hand and yanking him forward by it. His right fist lashed out and connected with solid bone and shattered it as the poor elf was yanked directly into the force of his punch. A familiar ache spread up his arm and it fueled his desire to fight. Something burned deep within him and the adrenaline spike had a giddiness rushing through his brain.

From somewhere behind him there was a shout of surprise as Craig jumped an elf from the shadows and quickly ended his life. Tweek knew that Craig had his back and so he left loose a little and left his reservations to the wind. A small smile broke through his calm composure.

The elf that had been whipped with the bow was attempting to stand so he gave him a quick rib crunching kick to the side and sent him rolling painfully into a rock a few feet away.

Someone jumped onto his back and wrapped an arm around his throat but Tweek knocked them in the nose with an elbow before he grabbed the elves arm and flung him onto the ground in front of him with enough force to cause dirt to fly up around him. The elf gasped for air and Tweek could see the tears forming in the corner of his eyes. Before he could get back up Tweek grabbed him by the collar of his loose green tunic and gave him a left hook followed by a jab right into his face. He dropped the unconscious elf to the ground like a burlap sack of potatoes. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, sweat dripped down his neck despite the coming winter chill and he felt more alive and relaxed than he had in ages. Some deeper primal part of him craved the feeling of a good fight. When he had been younger that habit had gotten him into trouble multiple times. With each punch that connected he felt better about Clyde's tragic banishment, he felt better about the shitty King and the missing relic too.

He took a swift kick to the gut but barely felt it as he retaliated with an uppercut and the elf was sent stumbling backwards into the shadowy arms of Craig who hit him in the temple with the hilt of his dagger and sent him deep into an unconscious state.

In a short time, all five elves were down for the count, either unconscious or dead and Tweek sucked in a breath to calm his racing heart. His hands were red, knuckles angry and pleasantly aching. He wanted it to last long, to keep fighting until he could feel the ache in his entire body but that wasn't going to happen. They still had a job to do and Tweek needed to not feed his vices like this too often.

________________________________________________________________

Craig stayed in the shadows through the entire fight and protected Tweek's back from the multiple opponents he was facing. He wasn't sure what had gotten into Tweek to make him so eager to fight but he wasn't going to get in his way. Tweek was crazy strong and Craig felt his teeth biting into his bottom lip as he watched the Barbarian shatter an elf's nose with his bare fist. He was in way deeper than he thought. At least while he was shadowed he could watch the sweat bead over Tweek's flexed chest muscles without it being weird.

Oh god, it was still weird and bordering on creepy. What was wrong with him.

Craig slid behind an elf trying to sneak an arrow shot at Tweek. A slow burning anger seethed through his veins at the sight and before he knew it he had the elf's hair in his left hand and the throat below the blade in his right hand was slashed open and dripping with blood.

He had become so accustomed to killing that it was his initial response in close combat situations.

The fight had ended as quickly as it had begun and the silence of the forest around them was eventually peppered with the calls of birds and sounds of nature instead of the rushing of his blood in his ears.

Tweek stood panting in the center of the small clearing, bathed in the afternoon light and Craig released his stealth enchantment a distance away from him to limit the amount of startling it was bound to do. Tweek's hands did not shake, his shoulders didn't twitch and a small smile graced his features. Craig was openly staring now, he wasn't even hidden from sight anymore but he couldn't look away. There was something ethereal about the afternoon light, the passion of the fight and he was glued to the image like a moth to the flame. His heart was in his throat and every word he thought he knew had left his brain and all that was left was the word beautiful. Craig had held on to feelings like this towards Tweek for almost as long as he had known him and it got worse every time they were together just the two of them. He hid it well at first but their closeness was completely undeniable to others.

The last time they had been together had been just after half of the town of Barbadiham had been burned to the ground. Tweek had asked him to stay and to try and help, he'd asked him to stay with him that night personally and Craig had agreed. He had been forced to leave the morning after because his highness needed throats slit in the night and Feldspar was his man for the job. They had never talked about that night afterwards; about Tweek cuddled into his side as he cried about his village. Neither of them talked about the tears they had both shed for the innocent lives lost, the lives they had tried to protect and the lives that they had taken. Nothing monumental had happened physically that night, but after being reunited with Tweek a few days ago the memories he had of that late night kept burning in the back of his mind. There were things left unsaid about it, at least on his end.

Tweek moved from his spot and turned towards Craig who was still staring star struck at him. He raised an eyebrow and Craig had to quickly school his expression and force himself to look to the side at the forest.

"A-Are you okay?" Tweek took a hesitant step towards him and Craig felt whatever spell he had been under break as he cleared his throat and nodded his head forcefully.

"Yeah, just thinking about our next move."

"While staring at me?" Tweek was grinning mischievously and Craig rolled his eyes and tried to ignore that nervous twist in his stomach. Under no circumstances was Tweek to know of the embarrassing state of his head.

"What can I say, your face helps me think." He turned and headed back into the forest they had come from and scrubbed at his face with both hands. Fucking pull yourself together Tucker. There was no time for thoughts such as those. Especially if it would alienate Tweek from him or make their journey more difficult or even impossible.

Craig failed to notice the look of curiosity that Tweek gave him as he followed him back towards their horses. Had he looked over his shoulder, Craig might have noticed the flushed cheeks that Tweek had and the interest in his gaze. But he didn't, so he was absolutely clueless.

Craig kept his thoughts focused on the tasks he was completing for the rest of the afternoon. They rode out towards the town but Craig knew they would have to stop in the village just before it. When the sun started to streak pale lines of purple and pink across the horizon he stopped them in the small village of Palsty just west of their destination.

Tweek went to get them a room at the local bed and breakfast while Craig found a stable for the horses. Coffee Bean and Stripe were tired and eagerly ate their hay and oats. He spent a little extra time brushing out their coats himself because his palms were sweaty and his brain kept thinking about Tweek. This was stupid, he was almost twenty-seven years old and he was acting like a bloody teenager.

With a sigh, he leaned his forehead against Stripes side and the horse turned his head from eating to give him a long look. It was judgmental and Craig narrowed his eyes at his dark coated horse.

"What? Did I do something?"

Stripe blew air at him and went back to eating without any further commentary and Craig groaned loudly. Stripe was right, he was being stupid. He was friends with Tweek, sharing a room at an Inn with him was nothing. Nothing was going to happen and if he stayed at the stables any longer, Tweek was going to think that he got attacked or kidnapped.

That got his ass moving back towards the bed and breakfast establishment. He entered the small foyer area and the woman behind the desk smiled and directed him to the room up the stairs and at the end of the hallway. He followed her instructions and paused outside the door. Without his permission, his hands reached up and attempted to flatten his hair. He huffed as soon as he realized what he was doing and how foolish it was. Tweek's hair was a nightmare all the time, it was doubtful he cared what Craig's looked like.

Craig gripped the handle and pulled the door open slowly to not startle Tweek. Regardless Tweek still jerked slightly from where he was washing his face over the small bedside basin. The water droplets slid down his cheekbones and clung to his pale eyelashes as he turned to stare a bit wide-eyed at Craig. He felt wholly unprepared in that moment for the entire situation they were in, but he shoved all his uneasiness deep down and stepped into the quaint room.

There were two small beds made up about a foot and a half apart from one another and a small oak bedside table rested in between them. It was a cozy room and that would do perfectly for the night but all Craig could think about was that Tweek would be sleeping only just over a foot away from him. Oh gods.

"Nice room." His social small talk skills were non-existent and his words came out flat and bored sounding. Tweek simply shrugged and patted his face dry with a soft towel before he hung it up with care. He moved to sit down on his bed closest to the window.

"It's pretty nice. Good for one night." The awkward conversation died painfully slowly in the dead air around them and Craig opened his mouth like a suffocating fish a few times; You know, to really make his lack of social ability crystal clear.

He heaved a sigh of defeat and started to remove the many belts, arm guards, leather pouches and of course weapons that adorned his person. Tweek procured a small journal of parchment and a quill from his satchel and started to write little clips of sentences down inside of it. Craig was curious but he didn't pry as he stripped down to his pants and undershirt and fell backwards onto his bed for the evening. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths as the scratching of quill tip on parchment became the only noise in the room.

Craig ignored the pale faces that tried to haunt him behind his closed eyelids and instead did his best to listen to Tweek's quiet breathing. It was even and relatively calm and eventually even the scratching of the quill stopped and there was a sharp intake of breath.

"Um, so... H-How are you?" Craig squeezed his eyes shut tighter and contemplated pretending to be asleep for all of two seconds before he gave up on that idea. Tweek already knew he was awake and that would be stupidly rude of him to do.

"In general, or because of last night at the castle?" He rolled his head to the side and met pale moss green eyes in the candlelight as they studied him. Tweek pursed his lips and pulled at the bottom one with his teeth. That was entirely unfair because Craig wanted to do that and he couldn't. At least not without getting punched in the face and potentially suffering a broken nose.

"Ngh, in general I guess because it’s been a few years since we've even spoken." He shrugged and Craig nodded in understanding. He lapsed into a thoughtful silence as he tried to piece together an appropriate response.

"I've been fine. Here and there for his majesty. Doing what someone like me does best." His tone was slightly sour but he kept his expression flat.

"Have you been home at all?" Craig frowned at the question but nodded silently.

"Yeah, I went a few times." He smiled as a particular memory surfaced. "You wouldn't believe how big Ruby is now." He chuckled softly and thought of his sister pulling a surprise attack on him from one of the trees in the backyard. She had just about given him a heart attack. She would always be important to him, especially since her wellbeing was part of the reason he ever took his current job in the first place.

"That’s good. I always admired how spirited and tough she was." Tweek was smiling right along with him and Craig liked that a lot.

"Yeah, she’s still tough. Sneaky too." He frowned and remembered how she had found all his VERY well-hidden knives when he had been home and had insisted that he let her keep a few of them. He had of course denied her.

"Sounds like someone I know." Tweek gave him a pointed look and Craig expertly avoided it.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. " A pillow hit him square in the face and he blinked in stunned silence. Craig slowly pulled the pillow away from his face and narrowed his eyes at Tweek.

"There is no way in hell or heaven, that you just threw a pillow at my face."

"It was certainly not me." Tweek put a hand to his chest in mock offense, even though his bed clearly lacked a pillow and Craig's now had two. Craig sat up slowly and grabbed the corners of each pillow as he moved fluidly to his feet. His steps were measured and slow as he approached the bed where Tweek was lounging. It took all his willpower to fake a stern expression and not smile.

"Tweek. Attacking the royal assassin with a pillow is punishable by death."

Tweek's eyes went comically large and he held his hands up in defense.

"N-No way man! It wasn't me I swear!"

"Bold lies, for someone with no alibi! I am an expert thief if you don't own up to this terrible crime I will steal all of your undergarments!" There was very little time to regret his sentence before it had already left his mouth. Tweek's face turned a dark scarlet and he spluttered for words.

"Y-You can't do that! That’s the worst!"

"I can and I will." He was already this far in, might as well keep digging his grave.

"But he did it!" Tweek made a big show of pointing to something or someone behind Craig and the thief just rolled his eyes.

"Nice try." Craig came at Tweek with both pillows at once on either side of his head. He valiantly blocked the first attack but missed the second pillow and got a face full of fluff that knocked him off the bed where he had been perched. Craig laughed and yanked the pillows back to his sides and tossed them to their proper places upon the beds.

Blonde hair skewed from taking a pillow to the face peeked up from the other side of the bed and Tweek rubbed at his left cheek.

"Jeez, at least I held back." Craig rolled his eyes and sat down at the foot of Tweek's bed.

"Tweeker's, if you didn't hold back there wouldn't be a pillow anymore and I would have a bruised eye. Tweek crawled back onto his bed and held his returned pillow to his chest and nodded.

"Fair point." Tweek tucked his feet underneath himself and smiled softly about something he was thinking. Craig tilted his head to the side and leaned forward in curiosity. He reached out and nudged his knee with his hand and left it there.

"What are you smiling about?"

Tweek met his gaze and smiled wider and suddenly Craig was a fifteen-year-old boy again seeing Tweek smile for the first time.

"I missed you Craig." Tweek spoke those words openly and honestly and they cut Craig directly to his core. Tweek looked away shyly and Craig cleared his throat nervously. He was on the verge of spilling his guts everywhere, just releasing the flood of everything he had kept bottled up inside. He didn't. He held it back by the skin of his teeth and settled for the lamest answer possible.

"Me too. It's good to have you back around Tweek." He smiled softly and reached upwards to ruffle the fluffy blonde hair affectionately. Tweek scoffed at him and swatted Craig's hand away.

"Knock it off Craig, I'm not a child."

"I know. Trust me I know..." Craig smirked at him and stood up to return to his own bed. He stretched out his own back and it popped a few times loudly. "Alright we've got an important day tomorrow. Let’s get some rest." He blew out the candle on the table and crawled into the bed and under the fur blankets. He closed his eyes immediately but neither one of them slept hardly at all that night.

Craig didn't want to risk sleeping too much with his nightmares because they had gotten worse and nobody knew but him, not even Tweek. Even if he hadn't been having nightmares recently he was so hyper aware of the barbarian sleeping less than two feet away that it felt like someone had lit him on fire.

Tweek was caught in an endless loop of worries that wouldn't stop. It wasn't until his own thinking had exhausted him that he managed to slip into a fitful and dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go. I'm gonna do my best to update this as best I can but I do have a real life and a job so I'm not sure how much I can keep to a promise of updating frequently. Enjoy and let me know what you think!
> 
> -Sammie


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